Eleven-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams began her fourth stint as world number one last week after she fared better than Russia’s Dinara Safina at the recently concluded China Open. Safina lost in the second round of the event while Williams crashed out in the third round. The tournament winner was Svetlana Kuznetsova.
The reigning Australian and Wimbledon champion is currently on her 74th career week at the top of the rankings.
Williams’ first stint atop the rankings was on July 8, 2002 and ended on August 10, 2003 (a total of 57 weeks), the second time was between September 8 and October 5, 2008 (four weeks) and February 2 and April 19, 2009 (11 weeks).
Safina could still regain the top ranking if she performs well in the upcoming tournaments. There’s only a five point difference between their rankings.
