2016: Time for an all-new women's tennis star after WTA Championship

WTA 2016 : Who is the next big thing of Women’s Tennis ( Cartoon : Himanshu Sachdeva )

The Women's Year Ending Championships (YEC) has always been a much awaited event for more reasons than one.

Apart from the fact that it is contested by the top eight seeds of the season, it sets the tone for the coming year. Adorned by a rich history and a pantheon of champions since 1972, the event over time has become less predictable.

Fun fact: Almost every decade since its inception, the YEC has been dominated by at most 2-3 Champions. However, the first ten years of the 21st Century saw about 8-9 different winners.

The great Martina Navratilova has been the only player to emerge victorious on 8 occasions in Singles. Steffi Graf and Serena Williams, who top the list of all-time greats, have won the WTA YEC five times apiece.

Fun fact: The players who managed to win this prestigious event just once in their career are Tracy Austin, Sylvia Hanika, Jana Novotna, Lindsay Davenport and Amelie Mauresmo. Among the active players Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova and Agnieszka Radwanska have won it once.

With Serena's withdrawal for the rest of the season following her upset loss to Roberta Vinci at the US Open, the contention for the YEC was wide open. With Sharapova also beseiged by injuries and seeming doubtful, a host of players tried their luck at qualifying by playing a seriesof events during the Asian swing.

However, Sharapova opted to play party-pooper by flying to Singapore in an earnest attempt to make the most of Serena's absence. Halep, Muguruza, Kvitova, Radwanska, Penneta, Kerber and Safarova completed the rest of the field for the ultimate battle.

Fun fact: Since 2003 there have been only 8 Singles players in the event, divided into two groups, and only 4 Doubles teams that qualify based on points amassed through the season.

It was an interesting mix of first timers and experienced players. With the format giving each player a fair chance to redeem themselves at the Round Robin (RR) stages and have a shot at winning the coveted title, tennis fans waited with baited breath to see who would triumph. And they were not disappointed to say the least.

Sharapova, after a long hiatus – one she has been on since July, surprised herself by winning her first RR match against Radwanska in a 3 Set tussle. She won all her round robin matches in the Red Group, and also drew the curtains on the career of this year’s surprise US Open winner Flavia Penneta.

Fun fact: From 1984 – 1998 the Final of the WTA Championships was played in the best of five format. In 1999 the Event reverted to using the best of three format and increased the number of Doubles teams to eight.

The White Group was dominated by this year’s Wimbledon finalist Garbine Muguruza. The Spanish ace, who also reached the finals of the doubles event in Singapore with compatriot Carla Suarez-Navvaro, showed great resilience in all her round robin matches. She beat Kvitova, the only top 10 player whom she had never faced before, in their first ever encounter.

Fun Fact: This year’s Championships did not have a player from the USA in the Singles category. This is quite rare considering the domination of Americans in Women’s tennis.

There was never a dearth of drama despite the conspicuous absence of the Great Williams.

Post the RR stages, both Sharapova and Muguruza emerged clear favourites for the title. Unpredictability reared its head,however, and the unthinkable happened.

While Kvitova upset Sharapova, Radwanksa upset Muguruza to set up the most unlikely finale of the WTA Year Ending Championships. With Radwanska winning her first ever YEC title, she brought about one final twist in the tale.

With the season at its fag end, the most pertinent question is – whom does the next season belong to?

With Serena taking time off to heal – body and soul – she is expected to return to the new season with an optimal level of fitness. At 34, however, she will have her own challenges of finding the right balance between match play and ample rest. While playing too much would wreak havoc on her body that if off late ridden with injuries, resting too much would not make her match fit.

She would probably have to take a leaf out of Roger Federer’s book.

The only player who could dethrone Serena Williams from her Numero Uno position and own the coming season is Garbine Muguruza. She is the real deal. It was unfortunate that she could not capitalize on her fine form at the YEC. In the semi finals, it was fatigue that gave her more of a challenge than competitor Agnieszka Radwanska.

Featuring in both the Singles and the Doubles Event of the YEC turned out to be a doubled edged sword for Muguruza. While playing Doubles may have improved her game in all departments it also added to her fatigue.

She ran out of gas against Radwanska but throughout the season she showed great signs of donning the hat of a future No. 1.

Following a dream run at this year’s Wimbledon, Muguruza struggled with consistency. After early exits in the American hard court season and the US Open 2015 she realigned herself to winning ways by partnering with Sam Sumyk, the former coach of Victoria Azarenka.

The partnership showed great potential during the Asian swing as she reached the Final of the Wuhan Open and clinched the China Open, her first ever Premiere Mandatory Title.

With a game based on big shot making, Muguruza displayed immense mental tenacity and maturity in all her matches at the YEC. Even in her loss to Radwanska she showed composure, class and great sportsmanship. With Sumyk, who guided Azarenka to two Grand Slam triumphs, Muguruza has all that it takes to be the next big star in women’s tennis.