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Five burning questions heading into the WTA Finals
SINGAPORE -- The draw for the WTA Finals is out and two-time defending champion Serena Williams will look to extend her 15-match win streak at the round robin tournament in a group that includes French Open finalist Simona Halep, Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard and the winningest player on the tour this year, Ana Ivanovic.
No. 2 Maria Sharapova, who has a chance to dethrone Serena at No. 1, headlines the White Group along with Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and U.S. Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki.
Here's how the draw panned out. The top two players from each group will qualify for the semifinals:
Red Group
- Serena Williams
- Simona Halep
- Eugenie Bouchard
- Ana Ivanovic
White Group
- Maria Sharapova
- Petra Kvitova
- Agnieszka Radwanska
- Caroline Wozniacki
Who will finish the season at No. 1?
The battle for No. 1 comes down to No. 1 Serena and No. 2 Sharapova. Sharapova is trying to finish a season at No. 1 for the first time in her career, which would be an incredible achievement given the shoulder injury that ended her season last year and ruled her out of the U.S. Open and WTA Finals.
Here are the scenarios:
- Serena can clinch the No. 1 ranking if she goes 3-0 in round robin play and makes the final.
- Serena can clinch the No. 1 ranking if she makes the final with a 2-1 record in round robin play and Sharapova loses at least one round robin match.
- If Serena goes 1-2 in round robin play, then Sharapova needs to reach the final with 2-1 round robin record or win the title to have a chance.
- If Serena goes 2-1 in round robin play, then Sharapova needs to reach the final with 3-0 round robin record or win the title to have a chance.
- If Serena goes 3-0 in round robin play, then Sharapova needs to win the title and not see Serena reach the final to have a chance.
Who's healthy?
Serena withdrew from the China Open three weeks ago with a knee injury and flew back to Europe to get it treated. Ivanovic, Bouchard and Halep have all been playing through injuries that forced them to retire from their final regular season tournaments. Kvitova played through a hamstring injury in Asia. You have to think the few weeks they've had off was enough time to heal up.
What are the most anticipated matches?
In the Red Group, Serena will face off against both Halep and Bouchard for the first time this season. She's never lost to either woman but she also hasn't played them during their abrupt ascent through the rankings. Halep has the all-court game that can force Serena to work hard for every point, while Bouchard's all out aggression, when it's on, can make any opponent feel rushed and uncomfortable.
The Evolution of Tennis Fashion: Ana Ivanovic
2005
Braces! Nike! Separates! 17-year-old Ivanovic starts her climb.
2006
Ivanovic makes her move to Adidas, where she'd end up signing a lifetime deal in 2010.
2006
Wimbledon whites. Also note the Wilson racket.
2006
Adidas opts for the string tank-top. Ah, the mid-aughts.
2007
Ivanovic's first signature dress, which she wore to en route to her first Slam final at Roland Garros. She lost to Justine Henin in straight sets.
2007
Ivanovic at the U.S. Open. One of Ivanovic's freshest looks.
2008
Adidas never did better than the bubble dress, which appeared in two Slam finals in 2008.
2008
Ivanovic lost to Maria Sharapova in the 2008 Australian Open in the blue version of the Adidas bubble dress.
2008
The iconic coral bubble dress launched a champion. Ivanovic won her maiden title at the French Open and took over the No. 1 ranking.
2008
Let's forget the petal dress ever happened. An early example of Adidas trying too hard.
2008
You're forgiven if you forget this look. Ivanovic was seeded No. 1 at the U.S. Open and lost to a qualifier in the second round.
2009
Ivanovic was stuck with Adidas' attempt to "Go Greek" for over six months.
2009
Swapping the colorways didn't save Adidas' "Greek Goddess" look.
2009
Things get meshy at Wimbeldon.
2009
The mesh continued in Tokyo. As Adidas would eventually learn, less is more.
2010
Well at least they got the simple part right. This marked a turn towards a more modern look from Adidas.
2010
The first great dress since her iconic 2008 dress.
2011
The heavy zipper on the front was a distracting design choice.
2011
A callback to the bright blue of her 2008 bubble dress.
2012
Seemingly a simple design, but the dress never fit well on Ivanovic and the "X" pattern across the chest was unfortunate.
2012
Ivanovic actually pulled off this neon-yellow look better than others did at the 2012 U.S. Open.
2013
One dress, two colorways. Not feeling the faux-strapless look.
2013
Ivanovic went all UCLA by the time spring came.
2014
Still obsessed with greek draping and mesh, Adidas actually finally got it right at the Australian Open.
2014
For Paris, Adidas kept the same silhouette and got rid of the draped neckline. Voila!
2104
She wore this simple dress in both black and pink at the U.S. Open and it was easily her best look since 2008.
In the White Group it's all about Sharapova vs. Kvitova. Theirs has been an interesting rivalry over the years. Since Kvitova's breakout year in 2011, where she beat Sharapova in the Wimbledon final to win her maiden Slam, Sharapova seems on a mission to never lose to her again. The Russian has won their last five meetings, most recently in the final of the China Open, which she won 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. This will be their first match on indoor hard court, which Kvitova thrives on.
Who will get out of the Red Group?
Assuming Serena is healthy, she seems a lock to get out of the Red Group. The battle for the other spot between Bouchard, Halep and Ivanovic is the tougher one to call. On the numbers you have to like Bouchard's chances, though she hasn't played her best since making the Wimbledon final. She's 1-1 against Halep and 2-0 against Ivanovic. Much like Bouchard, Halep hasn't been her best since Wimbledon, but she's 2-0 in completed matches against Ivanovic. As for Ivanovic, she played well through the Asian swing, winning the Tokyo Open and making the semifinals at the China Open. She definitely has the edge on confidence.
Who will get out of the White Group?
Sharapova is coming into the tournament off her big win at the China Open, while Kvitova finished her regular season with an 8-1 record, winning the Wuhan Open and losing to Sharapova in the final in Beijing. They're the obvious front-runners to qualify for the semifinals, especially given Radwanska's struggles since winning the Rogers Cup over the summer (she's 6-5 since).
The Evolution of Tennis Fashion: Caroline Wozniacki
2006
Wozniacki wasn't always with Adidas. She won her junior Wimbledon title (defeating Magdalena Rybarikova) in Nike.
2007
Wozniacki signs with Adidas. And then they did this to her.
2007
That's a lot of pink.
2008
Wozniacki won the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2008, finishing the season ranked No. 12.
2008
Adidas quickly realized they had a youngster with star power.
2008
I had a soft spot for Wozniacki's big black ankle braces. They looked like ski boots, which was appropriate because, you know, Danish.
2009
Matching neon safari kits for Wozniacki and her doubles partner Sorana Cirstea. Wozniacki played doubles?
2009
Wozniacki preferred wearing separates over dresses during her early days with Adidas.
2009
Those red accents probably wouldn't pass under Wimbledon's new, stricter All-White dress code, which is a bummer. This was a sharp kit...
2009
...especially when it was involved in one of the more infamous changeover bumps between Wozniacki and Sabine Lisicki, who was decked out in the same kit.
2009
Wozniacki signs on to the Adidas Stella McCartney line. And this is where our fashion look-back gets...interesting.
2009
Wozniacki knows how to activate a sponsorship. Just months after signing the Stella deal, she makes her first Slam final at the U.S. Open.
2009
In the same dress but different colorway, Wozniacki qualifies for her first WTA Championships in Doha.
2010
That happened.
2010
Stella McCartney would rarely dabble in patterns, but this was a surprisingly conventional offering.
2010
It's never easy to make all-white interesting, but this dress' use of an embossed pattern was great.
2010
After a year of neutral colors, Wozniacki gets something bold and modern to wear for the U.S. Open. Wozniacki told me this is her favorite dress.
2010
The uber-short hemline raised a few eyebrows, though.
2011
The high-waisted pleat made for an awkward fit and silhouette when still.
2011
But the dress made for some interesting lines when it was in motion.
2011
Quite possibly the worse neckline in the history of tennis fashion. Oy.
2011
Phew. Crisp, clean separates. Back to normalcy.
2011
Sacre bleu! The ruffles were back for the French Open.
2011
Going all white only made the ruffles worse.
2011
Stella returns to neutral colors with some nice mesh accents. A relief on the eyes.
2012
Same dress as the U.S. Open but in a soft yellow. A little sunshine for Sunshine.
2012
Orange with a subtle pattern, the dress didn't look that special...
2012
Until it was put in motion. Great design.
2012
Another bright number for the Dane. Snooze.
2012
The perfect Wimbledon dress that lasted for just one match. Wozniacki lost to Tamira Pazcek in the first round.
2012
It was the Olympics, but you should still stick to visors, Woz.
2012
Stella McCartney tries to go the LBD route but the fit was just a little off and unflattering.
2012
It's not the aggressive color-blocking that's the problem. It's the black shoes.
2013
There is a lot going on here and most of it is very unfortunate.
2013
Simple enough, but it made for some weird tanlines.
2013
The definition of an over-designed dress. Double-straps, cut-outs, multi-toned colorblocking, it was too much.
2014
Stella McCartney had an incredible ability to make a dress look terrible on the rack...
2014
...but great on the court at the Australian Open.
2014
Minty fresh.
2014
This green number didn't get much play at the French Open, where Wozniacki lost in the first round. But it was there when she kicked off her resurgence in Eastbourne.
2014
It's not easy to keep reinventing all-white dresses, but this flirty number was a winner.
2014
Despite being bogged down by a useless ruffle, Wozniacki finds herself back in a Slam final.
But Wozniacki is more than capable of playing the spoiler. She played one of the best hard court matches of her career to beat Sharapova in the U.S. Open quarterfinals, and she's 4-4 against Kvitova, though this will be their first meeting of the year.
Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.