Li Na is a Chinese former professional tennis player. She achieved a career-high WTA ranking of world No. 2 on 17 February 2014. Over the course of her career, Li won nine WTA Tour singles titles including two Grand Slam singles titles at the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open. Those victories made her the first Grand Slam singles champion from Asia, male or female. She also became the first player representing an Asian country to appear in a Grand Slam singles final, finishing as the runner-up at the 2011 Australian Open. Li was also the runner-up at the 2013 Australian Open and 2013 WTA Tour Championships, a three-time quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and a semifinalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and 2013 US Open. Among her other most notable achievements, she was the first Chinese player to win a WTA tour title at the Guangzhou International Women's Open in 2004, the first to reach a Grand Slam singles quarterfinal at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, and the first to break into the world's top ten.
Urszula Radwańska is a Polish professional tennis player.
Sorana Mihaela Cîrstea is a Romanian professional tennis player. In singles, she achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 21 on 12 August 2013. In doubles, her career-high ranking is No. 35, which she reached on 9 March 2009. Her biggest achievements include reaching the quarterfinals at the 2009 French Open, the quarterfinals at the 2023 US Open, and the final at the 2013 Rogers Cup.
The 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for the 2008 tennis season. The 2008 WTA Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tier I-IV Events, the Fed Cup, the year-end championships, and the tennis event at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
Julia Görges is a German former professional tennis player. A former top-ten singles player, she was ranked as high as No. 9 in the world on 20 August 2018, and was ranked inside the top 15 in doubles, peaking at world No. 12 on 22 August 2016. She won seven singles and five doubles titles on the WTA Tour, as well as six singles and six doubles titles on the ITF Circuit.
The 2012 WTA Tour Championships was a tennis tournament played at Istanbul, Turkey from October 23 to October 28, 2012. It was the 42nd edition of the singles event and the 37th edition of the doubles competition. The tournament was held at the Sinan Erdem Dome and was contested by eight singles players and four doubles teams. It was the larger of two season ending championships on the 2012 WTA Tour.
The 2013 WTA Tour Championships was a women's tennis tournament at Istanbul, Turkey from 22 to 27 October 2013. It was the 43rd edition of the singles event and the 38th edition of the doubles competition. The tournament, held at the Sinan Erdem Dome, was contested by eight singles players and four doubles teams. It was the larger of two season-ending championships on the 2013 WTA Tour.
Maria Sharapova defeated Sara Errani in the final, 6–3, 6–2 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2012 French Open. It was her first French Open title, and she completed the career Grand Slam with the win. It was Sharapova's first major title since the 2008 Australian Open, and her first since a shoulder surgery that threatened to end her career four years prior. She lost only one set during the tournament, to Klára Zakopalová in the fourth round. Sharapova regained the world No. 1 ranking with the win; Victoria Azarenka and Agnieszka Radwańska were also in contention for the top spot.
Petra Kvitová defeated Li Na in the final, 7–5, 2–6, 6–3 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2012 Canadian Open.
Marion Bartoli defeated Sabine Lisicki in the final, 6–1, 6–4 to win the ladies' singles tennis title at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships. It was her first major title, and she won the title without losing a set, or facing a tiebreak in any set. Bartoli became the first French major champion since Amélie Mauresmo at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships. By winning her first major title on her 47th appearance, she broke the previous women's record of 45, set by Jana Novotná in 1998, for most appearances in majors before winning a title. This was also Bartoli's last major appearance, as she retired from professional tennis the following month.
Serena Williams defeated Victoria Azarenka in the final, 6–2, 2–6, 7–5 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2012 US Open. Azarenka served for the championship and led 5–3 in the third set. It was the first time since 1995 that the final went to three sets. With the victory, Williams became the third woman in history to win Wimbledon, the Olympics, and the US Open in the same season, after Steffi Graf and her sister Venus Williams. Williams lost only one set during the tournament, to Azarenka in the final.
Defending champion Victoria Azarenka defeated Li Na in the final, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2013 Australian Open. It was her second major title.
The 2013 Victoria Azarenka tennis season officially began at the 2013 Brisbane International, the first of two simultaneous events which opened the official 2013 season, and concluded with her fifth consecutive qualification for the 2013 WTA Tour Championships.
The 2013 Serena Williams tennis season officially began on 30 December 2012 with the start of the 2013 WTA Tour. Williams produced the most consistent season of her career, reaching 13 finals and winning 11 titles, the most since Martina Hingis won 12 titles in 1997. She also won her second French Open, her first since 2002, as well as her fifth US Open. Williams dominated the clay court season, winning five titles and all 28 of her matches on the surface to produce her career-best winning streak at 34. She had a winning percentage of 95.1%, the highest since 1990, and became the first women's player to eclipse the US$10 million prize money mark at US$12,385,572. Williams finished the year as the world No. 1 for the third time in her career. For her performance in the 2013 season, she was named ITF World Champion for the fourth time and the second time in a row.
Serena Williams defeated the defending champion Maria Sharapova in the final, 6–4, 6–4 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2013 French Open. It was her second French Open singles title, her 16th major singles title overall, and she completed the double career Grand Slam in singles with the win. She also became the oldest woman to win the French Open and set a record for the longest gap between successive French Open titles. With the win, Williams extended her winning streak to 31 matches, going undefeated for the 2013 clay court season. She lost only one set during the tournament, to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals.
Defending champion Serena Williams defeated Victoria Azarenka in a rematch of the previous year's final, 7–5, 6–7(6–8), 6–1 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2013 US Open. It was her fifth US Open singles title and her 17th major singles title overall. For the second consecutive year, Williams lost only one set during the tournament, again to Azarenka in the final.
Li Na defeated Dominika Cibulková in the final, 7–6(7–3), 6–0 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2014 Australian Open. It was her second major singles title. Li saved a match point en route to the title, in the third round against Lucie Šafářová, and became the first Asian champion at the Australian Open.
Maria Sharapova defeated Caroline Wozniacki in the final, 6–2, 6–2 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2013 Indian Wells Masters. It was her second Indian Wells Masters title.
Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova in the final, 4–6, 6–3, 6–0 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2013 Miami Open. It was her record sixth Miami Open title, and Sharapova's fifth runner-up finish without winning the title.
Serena Williams defeated Sorana Cîrstea in the final, 6–2, 6–0 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2013 Canadian Open. The victory gave Williams her third Canadian Open title, her eighth title of the season, and her 54th career WTA Tour title.
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