Photo: Serena Williams (Getty Images)
World number one female tennis player, Serena Williams returned to center court, in a rematch with Romanian Simona Halep in the finals of the Season WTA in Singapore and claimed a comfortable straights sets win to maintain her World number one status.
Both players came face to face in the group stage where Halep stunned Williams to record a 6-0, 6-2 victory, the second worst defeat for Williams since 1998
Many had suggested that Williams was a fading force after she failed to reach the quarter-finals at the first three grand slams of the year, but she ended that talk on court on Sunday She was in no nonsense mood returning a taste of the medicine Halep earlier handed down to her. She triumphed with a 6-3, 6-0 win on Sunday.
Williams admitted in a post game interview to BT Sport that the defeat earlier in the week was playing on her mind, but was sure that she would find her rhythm after a stuttering start.
“She was playing so well like she did the last time we played and I literally was on this side of the court and I just laughed,” she told BT Sport. “I was like: ‘Serena you have nothing to lose, just relax.’ Once I relaxed I just started playing better and making my shots.
“I lost to her a couple of days ago so I knew she was capable of playing really well and she started out well but I knew that I had to play better if I wanted to win and I definitely wanted to win so I did what it has to take to play better.”
Going into the tournament Williams world number 1 ranking was at stake, with world number two player Maria Sharapova of Russia, needing to win the end of season Championship and hope Williams didn’t reach the final. However Sharapova was knocked out in the pool stage by Petra Kvitova 6-2, 6-3, which ended her chances of overtaking Williams.
Williams achieved another great feat by defending her world number one ranking. She has been World No. 1 in singles on six separate occasions. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002, and regained this ranking for the sixth time on February 18, 2013, becoming the oldest world no. 1 player in WTA’s history. This was her fifth crown at WTA finals.
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