Williams Qualifies for WTA Championships

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 7th August 2013

Williams Qualifies for WTA Championships

epa03794487 American tennisplayer Serena Williams wave to the audience after winninge the semifinal against tjeckian tennis player Klara Zakopalova in the semifinal in women's single match at the Swedish Open tennis tournament in Bastad, Sweden, on July 20, 2013. Williams opponant in the finally will be Swedish player Johanna Arvidsson. EPA/BJORN LARSSON ROSVALL |

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced Serena Williams is the first player to qualify for this year’s WTA Championships, to be staged at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul, Turkey, from October 22-27, 2013.

The TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships showcases the world’s best women tennis players as the Top 8 singles players and Top 4 doubles teams compete for a record-setting $6 million in prize money and one of the most prestigious titles in women’s tennis. Istanbul is set to host the elite season-ending competition for a triumphant third and final year.

Williams returns to Istanbul to defend the title she won last year in front of a vocal, sell-out crowd. The 31-year-old has now qualified for the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships for the 10th time in her career, and is a three-time champion at the event (2001, 2009, 2012), in addition to reaching finals in 2002 and 2004.

The American has amassed an impressive 51-3 record so far this season, including a career-best 34-match win streak while collecting a tour-leading seven titles along the way: Brisbane International, Sony Open Tennis (her sixth title at Miami), Family Circle Cup (Charleston), Mutua Madrid Open, Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Rome), Roland Garros (her 16th Grand Slam singles crown), and Collector Swedish Open (Bastad).

With 53 titles, Williams currently is tied for ninth with Monica Seles on the all-time list for most titles won. In February this year, she returned to the World No.1 ranking, becoming the oldest player to hold the top spot, which she has now done so for 148 non-consecutive weeks across the course of her career. During Wimbledon she achieved her 600th win at all levels, a feat that has been accomplished by just 14 other players in WTA history.

Following two successful, record-breaking editions, Istanbul hosts the Championships for the third and final year in 2013. In 2012, the event attracted more than 73,000 fans during six days of competition, the highest attendance at the year-end event since 2000. Championships broadcast coverage reached 167 countries, and the overall hours produced increased 25 percent, including live matches, match replays, and highlights. Nearly 42 million fans followed the on-court and behind-the-scenes action via WTA social media and digital platforms, leading to a record-setting week for the official WTA website (www.wtatennis.com) with approximately 4.8 million page impressions and nearly 500,000 unique visitors.

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Peter_Caseanus says:

August 7, 2013 at 7:52 am

RT @10sBalls_com: Williams Qualifies for WTA Championships: The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced Serena Willi… http://t.co/XLSg…