Up and Comers, Down and Outers

Occasionally there will be a Grand Slam where it seems like the entire draw has been turned upside down and you've never heard of half the players. That's the way the bottom half of the women's singles draw looks these days. Sometimes it just means the stars are out of alignment and it's a really freaky year. But other times, it means a bona fide changing of the guard.
Of course, players rankings are constantly rising and falling. But some seem to be heading down faster than others, even as others suddenly seem to be tomorrow's rising stars.
This years faders? Well, Dementieva, Petrova, Hantuchova and Hingis for sure. And possibly Sharapova and Schnyder.
The up and comers? Time to memorize some new names that initially sound difficult to pronounce: Agnes Svazay of Hungary, a 19-year-old who came into the tournament ranked an all-time high of 31 in the world; Julia Vakulenko of Ukraine, a 24-year-old late bloomer who came into the tournament ranked 50 and who had never risen above 33 in the world prior to the tourney; Victoria Azarenka, an 18-year-old from Belarus; Tamara Pazcek, a 16-year-old (she doesn't turn 17 until December) from Austria, who was ranked 43 before the tournament; and giant-slayer Agnieszka Radwanska, an 18-year-old from Poland.
Flashes in the pan or tomorrow's stars? Time, and www.tenniscritic/blogspot.com, will tell.