Russia’s tennis megastar Maria Sharapova became the second player to qualify for the prestigious WTA Finals 2014 in Singapore by virtue of a strong run in the past eight months. The former world number one won her fifth Grand Slam singles title earlier this year at the Roland Garros tournament. The WTA Finals Singapore will take place at the Singapore Sports Hub in October. The Asian city will host the year-end event for the next five years.
“I am really excited to qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global and to bring the best in women’s tennis to Singapore this October,” Sharapova said after finding out about the news.
This is Sharapova’s seventh appearance at the WTA Finals. She won her lone title at this event back in 2004, the same year she won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon where as a 17-year old, she defeated Serena Williams. She also defeated the American in her 2004 title run at the WTA Finals. She was a runner-up twice in 2007 (lost to Justine Henin) and 2012 (lost to Williams).
In 2013, Sharapova missed the last quarter of the season, including the WTA Finals, due to shoulder injury.
