Serena Williams shook off the rust and a feisty challenge from Serbia's Ana Ivanovic to open the defence of her WTA Tour Finals title with a 6-4, 6-4 victory in the opening match of the elite eight-player tournament on Monday.
Romania's Simona Halep kicked off her campaign for a maiden WTA Finals title in emphatic fashion with a thumping 6-0, 6-3 victory over US Open champion Flavia Pennetta in the opening match of the eight-woman season-ending tournament on Sunday.
The two cases shocked the tennis world with many fuming at how they were handled by the authorities.
Heading into the final, Gauff had lost the first set in three straight matches and the former U.S. Open champion seemed determined to buck that trend, serving to love in the opening game and breaking early for a 2-0 lead.
It was an emotional win for Aryna Sabalenka, who missed Wimbledon last month due to a shoulder injury.
Aryna Sabalenka claimed her third Grand Slam title after winning the Australian Open twice.
Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens picked up the Doubles Team of the Year award, China's Zheng Qinwen was named Most Improved Player while Russian Mirra Andreeva won Newcomer of the Year.
Serena Williams clinched the year-end World No 1 ranking for the fourth time without hitting a ball on Friday after Maria Sharapova, the only woman with any chance of overtaking her, was eliminated from the WTA Finals.
While her career has featured a number of highs -- she has won two doubles Grand Slam titles and 11 WTA titles, including the Cincinnati Masters -- Garcia said she has become fixated on what she sees as her failures.
Iga Swiatek has been not been at her world-beating best in the months leading up to the U.S. Open but the Pole has both the talent and mentality to lift her game for the final Grand Slam of the year, tennis great Chris Evert said.
Making their first appearance in the WTA Finals in Singapore, Sania Mirza and Cara Black outplayed Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears in their opening match to book their semi-finals berth on Thursday.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) named Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka as its 'world champions' of 2023 after their performances at this year's Grand Slams.
The five top contenders for the women's title at the Australian Open, which starts on Monday.
Three contenders for the women's singles title at the Australian Open.
Factbox on Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka, who beat China's Zheng Qinwen in the Australian Open final on Saturday
Former World No 1 Ana Ivanovic brushed aside Caroline Wozniacki to win the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Sunday and move closer to sealing a berth for the season-ending WTA finals in Singapore.
Czech-born Navratilova, who became a US citizen in 1981, was also diagnosed and beat breast cancer back in 2010.
Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska secured the last remaining spot in the season-ending WTA Championships without hitting a ball after Marion Bartoli retired from her Kremlin Cup quarter-final with an illness on Friday.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz faces a potential quarter-final clash with old foe Jannik Sinner in his US Open title defence, and American Coco Gauff is on a collision course with defending champion Iga Swiatek on the women's side.
China's Li Na will meet Serena Williams in the final of the WTA championships after beating Czech Petra Kvitova 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday, becoming the highest-ranked player ever from an Asian country.
India's greatest women's tennis player won six Grand Slam doubles titles and will compete in her final major this month at the Australian Open, where she bagged the women's doubles crown in 2016.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz retired injured against Holger Rune at the Paris Masters on Friday, sending his fellow 19-year-old through to the semi-finals, while Novak Djokovic and Felix Auger-Aliassime also sealed places in the last four.
Hurkacz, Swiatek win as Poland march into United Cup final
World No 8 Muchova withdraws from Aus Open with wrist injury
The women's Grand Slams were all won by different players for a fifth straight year in 2021
WTA Finals winner Garcia says she struggled with bulimia
Andy Murray recovered from a slow start to beat Argentine qualifier Juan Ignacio Londero
Halep, who won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon the following year, struggled for results last year due to injuries and reached only one WTA final, at the Transylvania Open, losing in her home tournament.
Muguruza wins all-Spanish clash with Badosa at WTA Finals
Emma Raducanu's US Open victory is among the "greatest achievements" in women's sport, men's world number eight Dominic Thiem said.
Muguruza seals semi-final berth, Pliskova beats Krejcikova at WTA Finals.
Images from Day 8 of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Sunday.
Images from Day 3 of the US Open, at Flushing Meadows, New York.
Images from Day 2 of the 2023 US Open at Flushing Meadows in New York on Tuesday.
Canada's Bianca Andreescu has decided not to compete at the Tokyo Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the former US Open champion said.
* Swiatek started playing tennis in an attempt to emulate her older sister, who competed briefly on the junior circuit.
World number one Novak Djokovic earned his 1,000th tour-level victory by beating Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday to reach the Italian Open final.
Naomi Osaka has witnessed a huge change in her career after claiming a maiden Grand Slam title in 2018, but the rising star of women's tennis will not be changing her quirky personality in media appearances that has endeared her to so many.
The 27-year-old Romanian beat Sloane Stephens at Roland Garros to win her maiden Grand Slam title in June and will have spent 40 weeks at the top of the rankings by the end of the season.
Andy Murray took a step closer to a first title in arguably the toughest year of his playing career, grinding out a 3-6, 7-5 ,6-2 win over Ugo Humbert on Saturday to reach the final of the European Open in Antwerp.
