Maria Sharapova finally recorded a win at the WTA finals on Friday but it was not enough to stop her crashing out of the tournament and blowing her opportunity to be crowned year-end world No.1 women’s tennis player.
The Russian star needed to beat Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets to stay alive but, after winning the first set, she agonisingly failed to convert three match points and then a tiebreaker in the second.
Second-ranked Sharapova rallied to win the match 7-5 6-7 (4-7), 6-2 but the 2004 champion exits the end-of-season tournament in Singapore after two earlier round-robin losses.
“It’s so great to get a win in Singapore. I really wanted it today; it was so tough in that second set. We’ve always had such tough matches against Radwanska and today was no different,” she said.
Sharapova is also unable overtake Serena Williams and become year-end world No.1 for the first time, meaning the 18-time grand slam-winner earns the honour for a fourth occasion.
Sharapova’s elimination brought an end to a disappointing campaign after losing her opening matches against Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and Czech Petra Kvitova.
Sharapova had a 10-2 head-to-head record against Radwanska going into Friday’s match and had won their past three meetings, but the world No.6 was unfazed.
Neither player held serve in the first four games but Sharapova eventually edged ahead and took the set after some furious rallies.
In the second, she had the crucial victory on her racquet but missed two match points at 5-1 and another at 5-3 before Radwanska forced the tiebreaker and snatched it 7-4.
But the Pole looked a spent force in the third set, enabling Sharapova to save face with her only match win in Asia’s first staging of the women’s season finale.
Radwanska is also relying on the result of Wozniacki’s final-round robin match with Kvitova if she is to make the semi-finals of the eight-player showdown.
And Williams, shattered 6-0 6-2 by Simona Halep in her second group match, needs the Romanian to win at least one set against Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic later on Friday to reach the semi-finals.
