By the end of the year, there were five in the top ten as they gleefully leapt into the gap left by the injury-plagued Belgian pair of Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters as well as the declining powers of the Williams sisters.
But despite their successes, no Russian woman managed to grab the world number one spot that would have been another first.
Instead, the end of year tussle at the top was won by American veteran Lindsay Davenport who edged Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo.
With the new season getting under way on Monday with tour events in Adelaide and Auckland as well as the Hopman Cup in Perth, it is that race to the top spot that is dominating the thoughts of the Russians.
"My goal for the new year is to get to number one and if I can achieve that it will be great," said Myskina.
"I want to win more Grand Slams like the French Open but first I am looking forward to the Australian Open." The Australian Open starts in Melbourne on January 17. The Russian revolution may have been all-consuming in 2004, but it wasn't entirely peaceful with Myskina and Sharapova having a very public fallout which is set to disrupt the team's Fed Cup defence.
The row has been simmering since Sharapova defeated Myskina in the semi-finals of the WTA Tour Championships in Los Angeles in November when the Wimbledon champion was hit with a code violation for receiving coaching from father Yuri.
"He was yelling and screaming to her and I thought he just might jump right on the court at one point," complained Myskina.
While the Russians are rolling, there are only problems for Henin-Hardenne and Clijsters.
Henin-Hardenne says she is ready to defend her Australian Open title but admits that she does not know what to expect following her recent illness.
The Belgian player was top-ranked in the world after winning in Melbourne, 11 months ago, but was then laid low by a viral condition.
She did make a temporary comeback to win Olympic gold in Athens, but was hit by the illness once again after that and withdrew from the circuit.
The build-up to the Australian Open will mark her competitive comeback and she insists that her motivation remains intact.
"I will be heading to Australia with a lot of question marks over me. I know that. But I think there will be less pressure on me than last year, even if I am the defending champion."
Clijsters damaged wrist tendons and took several months off to recover. She attempted a comeback on home soil in October, but failed to finish the tournament as the pain returned.
For Venus Williams, it is a struggle just to stay in the top 10 and long gone are the days when her power and physical presence intimidated all but her younger sister.
"I had definitely an up and down year," said Serena after another injury, this time to a stomach muscle, doomed her to defeat against Sharapova in the final of the WTA Tour finals.
"My Serena year wasn't superb. Overall it has been a really tough year for me in general, so I just try to stay positive."
The new year will also see two exciting new talents on show in the shape of two 15-year-olds - Sesil Karatantcheva of Bulgaria and Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic.
Vaidisova won't be 16 until April but announced herself in style in 2004 by winning two tour titles.