Serena Williams reinforces huge rankings lead

Serena Williams reinforced her huge lead at the top of the WTA rankings a week out from the start of the French Open after winning the Italian Open on Sunday.

Williams beat fellow American Madison Keys in the final in Rome to set herself up nicely for Roland Garros.

Second place in the rankings was reclaimed by Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska from Germany’s Angelique Kerber, who suffered an early exit in the Italian capital.

Elsewhere, Victoria Azarenka moved up a place to fifth at the expense of Romania’s Simona Halep and Timea Bacsinszky and Flavia Pennetta were also climbers in the top 10.

WTA top 20

1. Serena Williams (USA) 9,030 pts

2. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 5,850 (+1)

3. Angelique Kerber (GER) 5,740 (-1)

4. Garbine Muguruza (ESP) 5,196

5. Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 4,341 (+1)

6. Simona Halep (ROM) 4,301 (-1)

7. Roberta Vinci (ITA) 3,505

8. Belinda Bencic (SUI) 3,330

9. Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 3,150 (+1)

10. Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 2,963 (+3)

11. Venus Williams (USA) 2,886 (+3)

12. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 2,878 (-3)

13. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 2,843 (+2)

14. Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) 2,585 (-3)

15. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 2,585 (+4)

16. Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 2,560

17. Madison Keys (USA) 2,541 (+7)

18. Sara Errani (ITA) 2,450

19. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 2,420 (+1)

20. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 2,416 (-3)

source: sports.inquirer.net

Sharapova blows chance at year-end number one

SINGAPORE —Maria Sharapova’s hopes of becoming the year-end world number one went up in smoke Tuesday when she crashed in straight sets to Petra Kvitova at the WTA Finals in Singapore.

The Russian superstar needed a win to have any chance of overtaking top-ranked Serena Williams but she blew up in spectacular fashion as Kvitova won 6-3, 6-2 in 75 minutes.

It was the second upset in quick succession at the season finale after Simona Halep stunned Williams 6-0, 6-2 on Wednesday, the 18-time Grand Slam-winner’s worst defeat in 16 years.

Kvitova’s first win over Sharapova since 2011 also left the Russian’s bid for a second year-end title — a decade after the first — hanging by a thread after her opening defeat to Caroline Wozniacki.

Earlier, Wozniacki beat Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 7-5, 6-3 to take top position in the White Group round robin as the resurgent Dane neared a spot in the semi-finals.

Sharapova won the first two games against Kvitova but then went to pieces as the Wimbledon champion won the next five straight and took the first set 6-3.

Another run of five games put Kvitova on the verge of victory before Sharapova finally earned a break of her own, and then saved two match points as she clung on in a 10-minute hold of serve at 5-1 down.

However, her resistance was broken when on the third match point, Kvitova blasted a magical looping forehand which landed on the baseline and beyond the crestfallen Russian.

Wozniacki took more than three hours to beat Sharapova on Tuesday and another long match looked likely when she fought with Radwanska in a tight opening set which featured five breaks of serve.

But the super-fit former world number one, who is training for the New York marathon, raced through the second set to step towards her first semi-final at the year-ender since 2009.

“I knew from the start that this wasn’t going to be an easy match,” Wozniacki said.

“I came out there a little bit nervous, but you know, I just did my best out there,” added the world number eight.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Halep gives Serena Williams a ‘bagel’ at WTA Finals

SINGAPORE — Simona Halep beat two-time defending champion Serena Williams 6-0, 6-2 at the WTA Finals on Wednesday, with the American’s two games won equaling her career worst.

The last time Williams managed to win just two games in a WTA Tour or grand slam match was in 1998 when she was just 16. 

Halep had never before beaten a top-three ranked opponent and in her previous two matches against Williams, both last year, she had won an aggregate of just seven games.

The Romanian, who also won convincingly against Eugenie Bouchard in her opening round-robin match, moves to a 2-0 record in the Red Group while Williams slips to 1-1.

source: sports.inquirer.net