World's no.1 Serena Williams is looking forward to meet Canadian rising star Eugenie Bouchard, as she looks to win the crown for the third consecutive time at the year-ending WTA Championship in Singapore.
Williams, who remains the most dominant player in this era at age 33, will try to protect her turf against traditional rivals (Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Ana Ivanovic) and rising stars like Simona Halep and Bouchard.
Out of seven opponents in this season-finale, Williams is apparently more interested in facing the 20-year old Bouchard, who has really made a name for herself in women's play this year following three consecutive Grand Slam semifinal appearances.
"I think everyone here is here to win. Everyone here is tough. Every match is going to be tough, so you have to be ready for that," Williams told reporters in the press conference. "I haven't played Bouchard this year, and I think she's been the most consistent in all the Grand Slams, so she'll be a really tough match.
Williams and Bouchard already met each other once in the round-of-32 of the 2013 Cincinnati Masters. As expected, Williams went on to win the match, but the then 19-year old Canadian gave the 18-time Grand Slam champion some scare after taking the first set of a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 loss.
Serena, whose presence in the WTA Finals was in question two weeks ago after suffering a knee injury at the Wuhan Open, hasn't lost her enthusiasm to compete after 63 WTA crowns and 210 weeks on top of the WTA world rankings.
"I don't care who I play, to be perfectly honest with you. You can put me against anybody at this point, I'm ready. I really can't wait for my match. I wish I had a match tomorrow," said Williams, who is bracketed with Red Group opponents Bouchard, Halep and Ana Ivanovic in the round-robin stage.
Meanwhile, world's no.2 Maria Sharapova is pitted against Petra Kvitova, Agnieszka Radwańska, and Caroline Wozniacki, who made her entry into the WTA finals following her excellent run at the US Open championship, finishing runner-up to Williams.
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