(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Serena will end the year on top for the fourth time in her career
Singapore: Maria Sharapova failed to advance out of the WTA Finals groups and conceded the year-end No. 1 ranking to Serena Williams despite a three-set victory over Agnieszka Radwanska on Friday. Sharapova needed to win in straight sets to have a chance of progressing in the tournament and had to win the title 10 years after her first time if she was to topple Williams from the top of the rankings.
Sharapova inexplicably collapsed from a set and 5-1 up missing three match points and losing the second set in a tiebreak. The Russian ultimately prevailed 7-5 6-7 (4) 6-2 in over three hours but she will go home while Radwanska qualified for the semifinals despite a 1-2 group-stage record.
Radwanska was helped by Caroline Wozniacki beating Petra Kvitova 6-2 6-3. Kvitova would have progressed had she won.
Williams takes the year-end top ranking for the fourth time beside 2002 2009 and 2013. Since the rankings began in 1975 only five players have held the No. 1 spot at year end four times or more. The others were Steffi Graf (eight times) Martina Navratilova (seven) Chris Evert (five) and Lindsay Davenport (four).
Wozniacki finished top of her group with Radwanska second. Their semifinal opponents would be known late Friday after Simona Halep faced Ana Ivanovic. Halep would finish top of her group and Williams runner-up unless Ivanovic won in straight sets in which case the Serb and Halep would advance with the order to be determined by percentage of games won through the tournament.
Sharapova the 2004 champion and two-time runner-up was left to rue an unforeseeable collapse from a dominant position in the second set against Radwanska who won five straight games.
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