Top 10 women's tennis matches of 2014

Women's tennis in 2014 saw a lot of great achievements by some very talented players. New players made an impact on the big stage with fine performances, while some of the familiar faces reached new heights in their careers. The results by the top 5 players has been quite consistent this year, which is something that is not usually seen in women’s tennis. There have been a lot of exciting and nail biting matches which took place on the WTA Tour this year. One player in particular was a part of a lot of these epic matches and she appears four times in this list. Let us have a look at the top 10 women’s matches of the year.

#10 Madison Keys Vs Angelique Kerber - Eastbourne Final

The Eastbourne Final finished on a real high as Madison Keys defeated Angelique Kerber to win her first WTA title in one of the most exciting matches of the year.

This took place just two days before Wimbledon, and with all the attention turned to SW19, not many people watched this brilliant match. Madison Keys, with her powerful serve was able to take the first set with ease. Kerber fought back in the second set, and forced the errors from Keys as she won the second set.

The third set was magnificent, with both the players playing the best tennis of their lives. Keys was always on top, as Kerber kept playing catch up as she saved a lot of break points as well. She was not able to hold her serve at 5-6. After breaking her serve, Madison Keys served out the set to win the title.

Score : Madison Keys def. Angelique Kerber, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.

#9 Petra Kvitova Vs Angelique Kerber - Fed Cup Final

Fans could have not asked for a better end to the Federation Cup Final which was contested between Czech Republic and Germany. The best match of the Final was definitely the match between Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber. It was an absolute roller-coaster of a match.

The whole match was memorable, but it was the epic 76 minute first set that really stood out. Kerber served for the first set three times and had six set points before eventually losing it in the tiebreak as Kvitova sealed the set with a big serve out wide and a forehand winner.

Kerber was on top for most of the match, but Kvitova always found a way to come back into the match. The Czech won the most important points of the match. Kerber had a lead in the third set as well, but Kvitova proved too good for her as she won the match.

Score : Petra Kvitova def. Angelique Kerber 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4.

#8 Venus Williams Vs Angelique Kerber - Montreal Third Round

Both these players feature on this list more than once, and it just goes to show that both of them have played some brilliant tennis this year. Venus Williams and Angelique Kerber were involved in a hard fought three set match which lasted over 2 hours.

The opening game of the match set the tone for the rest of the match, lasting 12 minutes with Venus saving a host of break points. The first two sets were almost identical with one player racing out to a lead, facing some resistance, but eventually coming through. Venus was leading 5-0 in the first set, while Kerber was leading 4-0 in the second.

It looked like Kerber would walk away with the victory after taking an early 3-0 lead in the third set, but Venus fought hard, broke back and won three games on the trot. This gave the American the much needed momentum to see out the match.

Score : Venus Williams def. Angelique Kerber, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

#7 Svetlana Kuznetsova Vs Petra Kvitova - French Open Third Round

This third round match at Roland Garros between Petra Kvitova and Svetlana Kuznetsova was a solid contender for match of the tournament until the final. Fans were able to witness Kuznetsova’s clay court defensive skills and Kvitova’s raw power during this epic encounter between these two talented ladies.

This match had everything in it. Superb winners, some excellent rallies and plenty of shocking errors. Kuznetsova’s defence in this match was the real winner and she showcased what a superb clay court player she is.

Kvitova had the upper hand as she took the first set in the tiebreaker. An upper thigh injury to Kvitova gave Kuznetsova the edge as she won the second set quite comfortably. Immense resilience by Kvitova took the match beyond the 12th game. Kusnetsova was finally able to break in the 16th game of the set to take the set and the match.

Score : Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Petra Kvitova, 6-7(3), 6-1, 9-7.

#6 Caroline Wozniacki Vs Maria Sharapova - U.S Open Quarter-Finals

Caroline Wozniacki has a long history with the U.S Open. It was in New York where she reached her first Grand Slam final and achieved the World no. 1 ranking. It is also the place where she got knocked out in the first round two years later.

She did not have a great season leading upto the U.S Open, and after an emotional break up with her long time boyfriend Rory McIlroy in June, things seemed tough for the Dane. Sharapova was the clear favourite to win.

To everyone’s surprise Wozniacki was looking better than Sharapova right from the beginning. She took the first set after breaking Sharapove once. Sharapova did not give up as she fought back to win the second set. Everyone expected Sharapova to win the third set with ease after the way she played in the second set, but Wozniacki had other ideas. She fought hard and was much better than the Russian as she took the third set and the match.

Score : Caroline Wozniacki d. Maria Sharapova, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

#5 Serena Williams Vs Caroline Wozniacki - WTA Tour Finals (Semifinals)

Caroline Wozniacki entered the semifinals of the WTA Tour Finals being in superb form without losing a single match in the round robin stage. Serena Williams on the other hand was lucky to be there, courtesy Ana Ivanovic.

The match turned out to be the best match the duo played this year. Wozniacki dominated the opening set to take it, 6-2. The courts really suited her game and Wozniacki was hitting through her forehand so much better.

Serena began to find her lost form in the second set, battling hard to win it. The third set saw both players on top form and after some excellent tennis, the match went into a tiebreak. Wozniacki did save three match points in the final set, but Serena kept her nerve and was finally able to win on her fourth match point.

Score : Serena Williams d. Caroline Wozniacki, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(6).

#4 Jana Cepelova Vs Belinda Bencic - Charleston Semifinals

Charleston was a tournament which saw a lot of upsets. Both these players had upset their opponents in the quarter-finals before entering the semifinals. Cepelova had the best win of her career when she defeated Serena Williams, while Belinda Bencic had defeated Sara Errani. Both of them had reached their first ever WTA semifinal.

Both these players played the tennis of their lives for a place in the final. Cepelova started off better than Bencic as she took a lead of 5-1 in the first set, but failed to serve out the set on two occasions. She was successful on her third attempt as she won the first set.

Bencic fought back in the second set with some excellent tennis and was able to get the better of Cepelova to take the second set. The third set was more of the same, but at times, even more intensified. The match had plenty of drama and a lot of excitement. The third set went into a tiebreak and after a long tiebreak, Cepelova finally came out on top to win the set and the match.

Score : Jana Cepelova def. Belinda Bencic, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(7).

#3 Petra Kvitova Vs Venus Williams - Wimbledon 3rd Round

When the Wimbledon womens draw came out, this was the match that everyone had their eyes firmly fixed on. After winning their first two matches with ease, Kvitova and Williams came into this match looking in good form, and they delivered.

This was not an average tennis match. In the whole match, which lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes we saw only 2 service breaks in 37 games. There were only three break points in the entire match. Both players were able to hold their service without much of a difficulty.

The first service break came in the 12th game of the first set when Venus Williams broke Kvitova’s serve to take the set. Kvitiova fought back in the second set to take the set to the tiebreak. She won the second set after a double fault by Williams. Both of them continued to play brilliant tennis, but it was Kvitova who had the final say when she broke Venus in the 11th game of the 3rd set, after she which she served out to take the match.

Score : Petra Kvitova d. Venus Williams, 5-7, 7-6(2), 7-5.

#2 Angelique Kerber Vs Maria Sharapova - Wimbledon 4th Round

This match was one of the most entertaining, exciting and nail biting matches of the season. It was definitely Angelique Kerber’s best performance this season. She had lost quite a few tough encounters this year, but she stepped up her game when she came up against Maria Sharapova. The quality of tennis in this match was amazing.

Kerber took an early break in the first set, but was unable to serve out the set as Sharapova made a good comeback taking the set to the tiebreak. In one the best tiebreaks of the tournament, it was Kerber who came out on top to take the first set. Sharapova fought back valiantly and won the second set to take the match to a decider.

Kerber, then stepped her game up in the third set. She took a 5-2 lead,but was unable to serve out the match at 5-3. However, the German had three break points on Sharapova’s next service game at 0-40. Sharapova did fight back and after a lot of deuces, Kerber finally won the match on her seventh match point.

Score : Angelique Kerber def. Maria Sharapova 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4.

#1 Maria Sharapova Vs Simona Halep - French Open Final

This is undoubtedly the best match of the year. The French Open Women’s Singles Finals over the years have always been one sided with the match always ending in two sets. It was after 13 years that we saw a three setter at Roland Garros this year. The previous one was in 2001 when Jennifer Capriati defeated Kim Clijsters, 12-10 in the third set.

Sharapova started off a bit scrappy with quite a few unforced errors, but recovered quickly to take the first set. Simona Halep fought back in the second set and fans witnessed superb tennis from both athletes. Halep had the chance to serve out the second set on two ocassions, but Sharapova fought back.

Halep finally won the set in a tiebreak. The third set was level at 4-4, when Sharapova entered beast mode and won eight straight points to lift her second French Open title.

Score : Maria Sharapova def. Simona Halep, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4.