World number three Maria Sharapova became the third woman to qualify for the WTA Year-End Championships in Singapore. Despite not playing at the US Open, the point cutoff to make the illustrious event in Singapore went down enough for Sharapova to still make it.

The Russian number one would have made it regardless because of her massive point total over the season. She joins Serena Williams and Simona Halep as the only women to qualify so far. This is the ninth time Sharapova has qualified for the event but did not participate in 2013 due to an injury. 

Sharapova’s season

The former world number one kicked off her season in Brisbane as a warm-up to the Australian Open. She stormed her way through the field before meeting Ana Ivanovic in the final. It was a battle for Sharapova, but she took out Ivanovic in three sets. Next up for her was the Australian Open. Like Brisbane, she did not have much difficulty getting through the draw, except against countrywoman Alexandra Panova in the second round. She met rival Serena Williams in the final and was knocked out in two tight sets

She began her spring hard court season in Mexico. She withdrew in the semifinals in Acapulco which would have been against Caroline Garcia. Her spring hard court struggles continued with a fourth round loss in Indian Wells, to Flavia Pennetta, and a second round loss in Miami, to countrywoman Daria Gavrilova.

The clay brought much better times for the Russian, despite being knocked out early in Stuttgart. She would go on to make the semifinals in Madrid, losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova and won the title in Rome over Carla Suarez Navarro. She failed to defend her French Open title however, as she lost to eventual finalist Lucie Safarova.

The final tournament we saw Sharapova play in was Wimbledon. She flew through the draw until she met first-time quarterfinalist in American Coco Vandeweghe. She was pushed to three sets but eventually won the match. For the second time this year, she met rival Serena in a Grand Slam, but this time in a semifinal. It was yet another comprehensive victory for the American who took it two and four as she won her third Grand Slam of the season.

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About the author
Noel John Alberto
Filipino-American sports journalist from Toms River, NJ. UMBC Graduate and aspiring physical therapist. Tennis editor and multi-sport coordinator for VAVEL USA. Writer for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Serie A sections of VAVEL UK. Sports aficionado. Host of the On The Line tennis podcast.