WTA awards for Serena Williams and Sonia Halep

Serena Williams has been named as the WTA Player of the Year for the fifth time whilst Sonia Halep won the Most Improved Player award.

She won 78 of her 82 matches, winning the US Open, the French Open and 11 other WTA titles in the process.

Halep had been tipped for years to make the big time after some stellar performances in the juniors.

But in her first three seasons on the women’s tour she struggled, and was ranked No 64 going into the tournament that was to become the turning point of her year, and her career – Rome, in May.