Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/441551
ITFWORLD WINTER 2014 7 www.itftennis.com I f 2014 was a rollercoaster season for SereNA WILLIAmS, she ended it at the top of the ride. Results that were disappointing — by her standards — at three of the four Grand Slams were balanced by victory at seven tournaments. Chief among these was her US Open triumph, which saw her collect her 18th Grand Slam title in a season where the singles trophies at the four majors went to four different women. As ever, the American's gritty determination and extraordinary ability to bounce back were what gave her the edge. Williams started 2014 much the same way she had ended 2013, and extended her winning streak to 25 matches as she won in Brisbane and reached the fourth round at the Australian Open. But she lost in the last 16 in Melbourne to Ana Ivanovic, and withdrew from Doha with a back injury. After nearly a month off the tour, Williams roared back in March, defeating Australian Open champion Li Na to win a record seventh title in Miami. She had another bumpy ride turning to clay, losing her opening match in Charleston and withdrawing ahead of her quarterfinal match in Madrid because of a left thigh injury. Williams found her winning form again in Rome where she defeated Sara Errani for the title, but any hopes that she was poised to successfully defend her Roland Garros title were shattered by Garbine Muguruza, who spectacularly upset the No. 1 seed in the second round. More heartbreak was to follow at Wimbledon, where Williams suffered a three-set loss to Alize Cornet in the third round. On North American hard courts though Williams found her groove, capturing her fourth title of the season in Stanford, advancing to the semifinals in Montreal before losing to sister Venus, then taking the title in Cincinnati. In New York, the pressure was on Williams to maintain her high standard of having won at least one Slam title in each of the previous three seasons. She responded by sweeping to the US Open title without losing a set, beating friend Caroline Wozniacki 63 63 in the final. Both Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert were on hand to present Willams with the trophy that saw her equal their own Grand Slam singles hauls. Williams ended 2014 by winning the WTA Finals for the third successive year, defeating Simona Halep in the decider. At 33, Williams was already the oldest woman to hold the No. 1 ranking and she captured the year-end top spot for the fourth time in her career. She is ITF World Champion for the fifth time, having previously received the honour in 2002, 2009, 2012 and 2013. Only Steffi Graf (seven times) and Navratilova (six) have been named World Champion more often. W OM EN ' S S I N G L E S W O R L D C H A M P I O N