Maria Sharapova can end season as world number one with Singapore victory

Maria Sharapova is now ranked number two in the world following her title run at the Premier-mandatory China Open on Sunday. The Russian tennis superstar is now within distance to overtake current top-ranked Serena Williams by the end of the season. As per the Road to Singapore standings which tabulates ranking points for the calendar year, Sharapova has 6,680 ranking points while Williams has 7,146. Their next scheduled event is the WTA Finals in Singapore where Williams is the defending champion.

The winner of the WTA Finals stands to earn 1,500 ranking points. Sharapova could narrow down her rival’s lead by electing to take part at the Premier-level Kremlin Cup in Moscow next week but she said that she’s not going to do so.

“I don’t think I’ve ever done that in my career, add a few tournaments to my schedule to gain points, in order to find a certain ranking. Never in the juniors, never in the pros,” she said. “Most important is to be healthy.

“Of course, it’s an incredible achievement if I could do it, considering where I started the year. But in the meantime I know I’ve had a great year and I’m going to go into the last tournament that I have just wanting to elevate my performance, use this week as a great stepping stone in the right direction, and finish it off well.”