WTA Finals Singapore 2014–2018: 5 Glorious Years, 5 Great Champions

With the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announcing the 2019 WTA Finals to be played at Shenzhen, China from 17 October to 3 November, it’s time to bid goodbye to Singapore and look back at the five glorious years of WTA Finals in the nation.

These five years have remarkably produced five different Champions. This is not a surprise though, since the WTA tour is much more open compared to the ATP tour which is dominated by the big three. It’s also interesting to note that at the time of lifting the WTA Finals title, four of these five champions had never won a Grand Slam tournament.

An interesting piece of trivia from these last five years is that four of them were placed in the “Red group”. In fact, for four consecutive years from 2014 to 2017, that was the case – a sequence that was broken this year by 2018 Champion Elina Svitolina who was placed in the “White group”.

Four of these Champions come from Europe and one from the USA. Here is a look at the five Champions of WTA Finals Singapore, from 2014 to 2018.

2014: Serena Williams (U.S.A)

Serena Williams - 2014 WTA Finals Champion

Serena Williams came to Singapore as the defending Champion and the top seed. She was placed in the “Red group” along with Simona Halep, Eugenie Bouchard and Ana Ivanovic.

She finished second in her group, after she shockingly lost to Halep in a one-sided encounter in which she could manage a grand total of just 2 games! However, she defeated both Bouchard and Ivanovic in straight sets to qualify for the Semi-Finals. There she met Caroline Wozniacki whom she beat in a tense three-setter – 2-6, 6-3, 7-6.

In the final, she avenged her earlier defeat to Halep by turning the tables on her. This time, it was Halep who was at the receiving end, managing to win a total of only 3 games!

2015: Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland)

BNP Paribas WTA Finals: Singapore 2015 - Winner Photo call

Agnieszka Radwanska entered the tournament as the fifth seed. She was placed in the “Red group” along with top seed Simona Halep, Maria Sharapova and Flavia Pennetta.

In the group stage, she lost two matches, to Maria Sharapova in three sets and to Pennetta in straight sets. However, she upset the top seed Halep in straight sets and that single victory in the group stage was enough for her to finish second in the group behind Maria Sharapova and qualify for the semi-final. There she saw off the challenge from the winner of the “White group” Garbine Muguruza in three tight sets.

In the final, she met Petra Kvitova, who like Radwanska, had managed to reach the Final despite losing two matches in the group stage. The final was another tight affair in which Radwanska managed to defeat Kvitova to lift the biggest title of her career.

2016: Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia)

Dominika Cibulkova - 2016 WTA Finals Champion

Dominika Cibulkova entered the tournament as the seventh seed. She, like the champions of the previous two years, was placed in the “Red group”. In her group was the top seed Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep and Madison Keys.

She could manage only one win in the group stage, against Halep whom she defeated in straight sets, whilst losing to Kerber and Madison Keys. But like Agnieszka Radwanska the previous year, that solitary victory was enough for her to reach the semi-final stage.

In the semi-final, she met Svetlana Kuznetsova, rebounding from a drubbing in the first set to finally win in three sets. In the final, she met Kerber again who had till then remained undefeated in the tournament. But this time Cibulkova got the better of the top seed in straight sets, and won the biggest title of her career.

2017: Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark)

Caroline Wozniacki - 2017 WTA Finals Champion

Like the previous three winners, for a fourth straight year, the eventual champion, Caroline Wozniacki, was placed in the “Red group”. The other players placed in her group were the top seed Simona Halep, Elina Svitolina and Caroline Garcia.

She had two easy wins against Halep and Svitolina, where she lost a sum total of just 4 games, and managed to bagel both of them in a set each. But her loss to Garcia consigned her to the second position in the group. Ironically, even in defeat, she had managed to bagel Garcia in the opening set!

In the semi-final, she met the winner of the “White group” – Karolina Pliskova, whom she defeated in straight sets, 7-6, 6-3. In the final, she got the better of Venus Williams in another straight-set encounter, 6-4, 6-4. At the time, it was her biggest title. But the next year, she won her maiden Grand Slam - the Australian Open.

2018: Elina Svitolina (Ukraine)

Elina Svitolina - 2018 WTA Finals Champion

Unlike the previous four years, the eventual champion was not to come from the “Red group” this time around. Elina Svitolina entered the tournament as the sixth seed and was placed in the “White group” along with the number two seed and defending champion, Caroline Wozniacki. The other two players in the group were Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova.

Svitolina’s form before coming to Singapore was quite poor – she had lost four out of her six previous matches. But she turned her form around and remained undefeated in the group stage to win the group.

the semi-final, she met another surprise contender: Kiki Bertens. She saw her off in a tight three-setter, to set up the final clash with Sloane Stephens. The final was another three-setter, in which Svitolina came from behind to win the biggest title of her career - so far.