Greg Garber, Senior Writer 9y

Final assessment of top WTA players

Tennis

She wasn't sure if she was going to make it to the finish line in Singapore, but Serena Williams managed to finish with a flourish.

Williams won the WTA year-end championship for the third consecutive year and finishes as the No. 1 player for the second straight season. Terrific stuff, but remember, we're grading on a curve. There was only one addition to the Grand Slam trophy case; four of the five previous years there were two.

Here are the final ESPN.com Up or Down ratings for the 2014 season in the WTA Tour:

Williams

No. 1 Serena Williams: The ranking is the same at the end of the year, but Serena -- perhaps feeling the effects of crossing into her 34th year on the planet -- was wildly inconsistent: She lost in the fourth, second and third round of the first three Grand Slams before winning the US Open. Maybe that's what we're going to get the rest of the way. For now, it's good enough to be No. 1.

Sharapova

No. 2 Maria Sharapova: Last year's No. 4 worked her way back to the penultimate spot for the second year in three with a nice season after playing just one post-Wimbledon match in 2013. Now, she just needs to start avoiding those costly double faults.

Halep

No. 3 Simona Halep: Huge season from the 23-year-old Romanian. She came from outside the top 10 (No. 11) to become one of the most consistent players on the WTA. Entered the season with a losing record in Grand Slams (10-14) and won 17 of 21. Her appearance in the final at Roland Garros and a round-robin victory over Serena in Singapore (even though she fell in the final) will help her going forward.

Kvitova

No. 4 Petra Kvitova: Likewise, the player from the Czech Republic pulled herself up -- two rungs on the ladder, in her case -- and captured the Wimbledon crown for the second time. She needs to play on hard surfaces and clay the way she does on grass.

Ivanovic

No. 5 Ana Ivanovic: She rallied 11 spots in the year-end rankings and back into the top 10. Ivanovic stunned Serena in the fourth round of the Australian Open and wound up with more match wins (58) than any other woman.

Bouchard

No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard: The 20-year-old Canadian took some big steps forward this year, landing well inside the top 10 -- from 2013's No. 32 position. She was the only women's player to reach the semifinals of the first three majors; Bouchard lost to Sharapova in the French Open final. She went 0-3 in Singapore.

Wozniacki

No. 8 Caroline Wozniacki: Only two spots up from a year ago, but encouraging nonetheless. Playing more aggressively, Wozniacki made the final of the US Open and is poised for her New York City Marathon run.

Williams

No. 19 Venus Williams: Big, big ups for Big Sister. Still wrestling with an autoimmune syndrome, the 34-year-old Venus won the Dubai title and reached three other finals (Montreal, Auckland and Quebec City). She went 32-14 and raised her ranking 30 spots from year-end 2013.

Murguruza

No. 23 Garbine Muguruza: The 21-year-old Spaniard stunned Serena in the second round at Roland Garros. She finished 38-20 and lifted her ranking 41 positions.

Azarenka

No. 32 Victoria Azarenka: A brutal year for the two-time Grand Slam singles champion from Belarus. Azarenka injured her foot before the Australian Open and played only 24 matches all year. Down from No. 2 at 2013's end.

Bencic

No. 33 Belinda Bencic: Swiss 17-year-old started the 2014 season ranked 212th and blasted her way into the elite ranks. She beat two top-10 players (Angelique Kerber and Jelena Jankovic) at the US Open, then reached the final at Tianjin, China.

Stephens

No. 37 Sloane Stephens: Tough year for the 21-year-old American. She parted ways with coach Paul Annacone and finished the season at a middling 21-20. Reached the fourth round at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, but went 1-2 at Wimbledon and the US Open. She lost 25 spots in the rankings.

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