With her third title of the year, this one in a 7-5, 7-6 (6) finals win over Karolina Pliskova in Zhuahi, she matches the most championships she’s had in a season since 2008.
Her 41 wins were the most since having 50 in 2007. And, most impressively, with her new No. 7 ranking, the 35-year-old becomes the oldest player in the top 10 since Jan. 1, 1995, when Martina Navratilova (then 37) fell out for the final time.
But it’s certainly the latter, not the former. She’ll finish No. 7 in the year-end rankings, ahead of a Grand Slam finalist (Lucie Safarova) and a Grand Slam champion (Flavia Pennetta). She played a full season, all the way until November, then put the cherry on top with a win.
It all seemed so far away when she was ranked No. 137 just about four years ago, due to her battle with the energy-sapping Sjogren’s Syndrome.
And, as wtatennis.com notes, Venus’s jump into the top 10 comes 17 years (!) after she debuted in the top 10. The No. 1 song in the country at time: Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It.
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