General / Guy McCrea / 17 November 2010 /

It's been a year of ups and downs on the WTA Tour. But what were the most important moments? In the first of a two-part series, Guy McCrea selects five highlights from the opening half of the 2010 season ...

Things looking up Down Under

The optimism of January 2010 seems so far away now. With Kim Clijsters (currently priced around [4.7] favourite to win the 2011 Australian Open) and Justine Henin [9.6] both back, Maria Sharapova [15.5] recovered from injury, the Williams sisters as imperious as ever and a crop of youngsters poised to breakthrough, there were genuine hopes that this would be one of the best WTA seasons in living memory. Alas, it didn't quite turn out that way.

For that, we can partly blame Serena Williams [5.3] and Justine Henin for producing such a high-quality Australian Open final. It's tough to remember the last time the women's final at a Slam was superior to the men's title match. But that happened in Melbourne, as two legends raised the bar and went toe-to-toe for three terrific sets. Henin, only playing her second event back on tour, almost upset the odds but Serena defended her title and became the first woman in the Open era to win five Australian Open singles crowns.

Terms of Engagement

There was some surprise in tennis circles when the WTA Tour announced an extension to its ongoing sponsorship agreement with Sony Ericsson in February. It had been widely thought that the telecommunications giant would sever ties completely. That didn't happen - but the two-year extension was nothing like the groundbreaking $88 million, six-year title sponsor deal agreed previously. Viewed simplistically, the new deal was seen as a disappointment - with Sony Ericsson ending their endorsement of both the WTA website and the prestigious year-end championships. But in this age of austerity, the WTA should actually receive praise for what they achieved. There was never any possibility of sealing a deal like the one they had before and this contract allows them some flexibility in future sponsorship negotiations.

Forza Francesca!

It's my big betting regret of the year and I am sure I am not alone. Francesca Schiavone [85.0] attracted little interest as a French Open contender. Indeed, she was a real long shot, only seeded at 17 in the women's draw. But just short of her 30th birthday, the veteran Italian produced the tennis of her life on the Parisian clay at Roland Garros to become the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title. Schiavone also became the second-oldest woman in the Open era to win a maiden major title thanks to her fairytale finish against fellow first-time major finalist Sam Stosur [17.5], who'd upset both Henin and Serena earlier in the event. The Italian's Grand Slam title run was one of the most remarkable - and unlikely - ever seen. It was impossible not to feel happy for one of the most amiable competitors in the women's game.

Sister Act

This year's French Open was also notable for the achievements of the Williams sisters. Not for once in singles (they had both gone out of that event by the quarter finals) but for their success together. Venus and Serena rebounded from those singles exits to win the doubles in Paris with victory over Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik in the final. In doing so, they became only the third pair in history to hold all four major titles at the same time. Winning their 12th career Grand Slam doubles crown also meant that the sisters held the top two ranking spots in both singles and doubles for the first time. Serena was the sixth player ever to hold the number one ranking in both forms of the women's game.

Lucky 13

She was already assured of her place in tennis history but Serena's fourth Wimbledon singles crown in July - her 13th major career singles title - was significant as it took her past Billie Jean King into sixth place in the all-time Open Era list. This was the most dominant of any of Serena's Grand Slam title runs. The closest the American came to dropping a set came when Maria Sharapova pushed her to an opening tie-break in the fourth round. Serena was ruthless against Vera Zvonareva [16.5] in the final, dropping just five games on her way to victory. But I was most struck by how well Serena served throughout Wimbledon - as good as I have ever seen her. She hit 89 aces during her singles matches to smash the women's record that she herself had set the previous year. At one stage, Serena was even serving more aces per game than the leading men! Hers was a simply awesome performance, which will live long in the memory.

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