Our stats analyst Omair is already famous for his statistical articles and now he's inspired Ludolf, another reader of Women's Tennis Blog and fan of tennis numbers, to contribute his take on the WTA rankings, i.e. he compared the actual rankings with the performance of players at the biggest events – Grand Slams and WTA Championships. Enjoy!

The WTA ranking does not rank properly the strength of players in the sense of the ability to win a match or a tournament. The main reason is that it is cumulative and therefore underestimates players without a sufficient number of tournaments. We need to compute an average to avoid this. Moreover, the WTA ranking considers tournaments with weights not depending on the quality of players on them.

To achive the above-mentioned goal it seems to be more appropriate to take the average result from majors and the WTA Championships, the tournaments where the best players are almost always present. By the result of a player we mean the number of her losses (including the rounds which she did not achieve), i.e. 0 for the winner, 1 for the defeated finalist, 2 for defeated semifinalists, and so on. The results for the last 52 weeks are presented in the table, completed by the WTA ranking (after the Australian Open) for comparison. (FO: French Open, W: Wimbledon, USO: US Open, WTA: WTA Championships, AO: Australian Open)

It is not a surprise that Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters reached much better position than their WTA ranking. It should be noted that the average results of these players (and some others, too) are not relevant in the same degree as of the other players due to a small number of tournaments they took part in. For instance, had Kim Clijsters reached the next round at the French Open, she would have taken the 6th position with the average of 3.50. Also, Samantha Stosur and Agnieszka Radwanska got significantly worse result than their WTA ranking.

We can conclude that the first three players are significantly better than others, except maybe Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters. This is in a good correlation with the WTA ranking, which need not be true in general.

There are some weak points of this average result. First, rather small number of tournaments is considered, hence the average has a rather big deviation. This has been already pointed out for Kim Clijsters. Let us also note that the first three players have the smallest possible differences. Also, it does not describe the actual level of players but an average in past 52 weeks.

What do you think of this perspective? It's nice to have one more approach, but as Ludolf himself stated, it still has many flaws and the fact that only five tournaments are taken into account, it's pretty limited. Plus, almost all the best players showed up at the tournaments analyzed, but still it's "almost". (photo: © Neal Trousdale)

Maria Sharapova came to Taiwan to play a charity exhibition match with fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva on Thursday. Sharapova had a glamorous arrival at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, was welcomed by screaming fans, and finished her journey successfully – with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Zvonareva at the Taipei Arena.

Both the players are now traveling to Tokyo for the $2,050,000 Toray Pan Pacific Open where Sharapova is seeded second and Zvonareva fourth. Sharapova has won the tournament two times, in 2005 and 2009.

E!News' TV presenter Marijana Rancic made a week-long profile of Sharapova during the US Open. She interviewed the Russian about fashion, especially her collections with Cole Haan and Nike, about her fiancé Sasha Vujacic (Maria revealed she'd prefer a small wedding), about the popularity of her Facebook page, there is a mention of Sharapova's and Novak Djokovic's cooperation on the famous Head commercial, and a walk through Sharapova's favorite places in New York City. (source: Maria Sharapova's official website)

Thanks to our reader, Tennis Fan, I was referred to the hindrance rule of the WTA's Rulebook and it suggests that chair umpire Eva Asderaki possibly made a wrong decision in the US Open final when she handed the point to Samantha Stosur because Serena Williams shouted "Come on" before the point was completely finished. The reasoning in favor of Williams is that she did not shout in order to distract her opponent, her reaction was unintentional.

I believe the outcome of the match would be the same anyway, and Williams was attacked by tennis community and fined $2000 because of her aggressive reaction to the disputable call (I still believe everyone should control their temper, even when faced with injustice), but let's see what the official rule for such a situations says:

26. HINDRANCE

If a player is hindered in playing the point by a deliberate act of the opponent(s), the player shall win the point. However, the point shall be replayed if a player is hindered in playing the point by either an unintentional act of the opponent(s), or something outside the player’s own control (not including a permanent fixture).

Let's put Serena's behavior aside, what to you think of Eva Asderaki's call? Was her decision right? Did Serena shout intentionally?

Serena Williams sort of apologized for her verbal attacks, on Twitter:

My emotions did get the best of me this past weekend when I disagreed with the umpire. It has been a long road to get back to the US Open this year, and I am thankful to have had such a great two weeks in New York.

By the way, have you noticed that the WTA Tour made no mention of the incident on their official website? They didn't even mention the fine and in their article about the final there is nothing about Williams' outburst. Here's how they described the controversial start of the second set:

The intensity of the match picked up early in the second set, when Williams was docked a point – thus giving Stosur a 6-2 1-0 lead – after letting out a victory cry on a big forehand up the line that had not yet become a winner, as Stosur still got her racquet on it. But those circumstances only seemed to energize Williams…

(photo courtesy of FIJI Water)

Clothing brands like to use the opportunity of their players' triumphs to celebrate their achievements and gain extra exposure. Lacoste took out a full page in the New York Times to congratulate Samantha Stosur on her US Open title.

During the Open, the 27-year-old Stosur wore a black, purple and white Lacoste dress.

Additional info: As part of her media appearances, Stosur visited a popular daytime talk show LIVE! with Regis and Kelly.

It's funny how Stosur always has a wide but shy smile.

Remind yourselves of how Nike celebrated recent Li Na's Roland Garros victory and Petra Kvitova's Wimbledon title. (photos via WTA Tour, lakwatsera)

According to US Open tradition, Samantha Stosur did a photo shoot with her maiden Grand Slam trophy in Times Square, New York City. Players usually pick a glamorous look for the occasion, but Sam kept it casual and beachy in the white and red stripes of her Lacoste dress.

Stosur has realized it’s not easy being a Grand Slam champion— she had to use three alarm clocks to wake up and fulfill all the obligations to the media and reportedly slept for only an hour and a half.

The Australian’s frozen face expression and stiff smile suggest she’s still shocked by her achievement and how dominantly she won the final against Serena Williams.

Check out Sam's ankles, by the way!

Reminder: In 2009 and 2010 Kim Clijsters showed off her trophy in Times Square and Central Park and before her, in 2008, it was this year's runner-up Serena Williams in a sexy red dress. (via Down the Line, Tennis Served Fresh, Women Who Serve)

Serena Williams has had more than awe-inspiring comeback and she reached the US Open final with all straight-set victories, many of which were very decisive, and she entered the championships match as a strong favorite against Samantha Stosur, but all that admiration Williams' tennis deserves quickly vanished when she showed utter lack of control and shameful impoliteness in the beginning of the second set.

Stosur had spent a lot of time on the court en route to the final and had never won a Grand Slam title and was therefore an underdog, however, the Australian had a diverse game accompanied by good use of Williams' missed first serves and she won the first set 6-2. In the first game of the second set, down 40-30 on her serve, Williams seemed to have saved the break point with a forehand winner, but her loud "Come on" before the ball reached Stosur was perceived as a shout in the middle of a point, and chair umpire Eva Asderaki handed Stosur the point and hence the game. It triggered such an anger in Williams, that she started yelling disgraceful things at the Greek umpire. Here's the video:

It's indisputable that Serena is very competitive, and she desperately wanted to win, not only because it was a Grand Slam final, not only because it would be a perfect crown to her comeback from almost a year off, but also because she was an American playing for a major title on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 in New York.

After a decisive first set loss and a potential drop of serve in the beginning of the second set, Williams was especially vulnerable, and the umpire ignited her apparently bad temper with such a decision. In my opinion, Williams embarrassed herself and overshadowed everything she had done at the tournament. Such a tennis star and role model shouldn't give herself the right to behave in such a way, even if faced with injustice.

Here's Williams' post-match press conference. She supposedly doesn't even remember what she said to Asderaki.

For the incident Serena has been fined $2000 (she earned $900,000 for her runner-up finish and additional $500,000 for her top position in the US Open Series standings). She does not face further disciplinary action, even though two years ago she had a similar incident with a line judge over a foot fault – in the US Open semifinal against Kim Clijsters. Remind yourselves of how it looked in 2009.

I'd like to end this article on a good note: fortunately, Stosur kept her cool and continued her game minimally affected by the loud spectators and angry Serena and finished the biggest match of her career with a 6-2 6-3 victory. Also, she was graceful during and after her win, including towards her opponent. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)

Here's a video of the trophy ceremony. Look how cute and shy Stosur was.

Stosur praised her Serena's indisputable career achievements, ignoring her shameful argument with chair umpire.

Ever since I started playing it was a dream of mine to be here one day. I don't really know what to say. Serena, you are a fantastic player, great champion and have done wonders for our sport.

Stosur spent more than 13 hours on the court this US Open, and she is only the second Australian woman to win the tournament, however, despite everything it has to be mentioned that the fact that Serena was her opponent in the final brings extra weight to her trophy.

Enjoy Stosur's post-match press conference:

The 27-year-old Stosur may have been around for long and she may have been in the top for long, but the 2011 US Open is only her third title, after Osaka 2009 and Charleston 2010.

My story is probably no different to many others, but when I was younger, my family gave up a lot. They saw that I had this dream and drive and determination to be a tennis player. I played in all those small tournaments, I've slept in train stations and stayed in dodgy hotels and done the hard yards through many places. But it pays off in the end and I'd do it all over again if I had to.

Both Samantha Stosur and Serena Williams reached the 2011 US Open final in an amazing way – Stosur played the longest US Open women's singles match in the third round against Nadia Petrova, and followed it with a match against Maria Kirilenko which featured the longest women's tiebreak at any major, then played three sets against suprise semifinalist Angelique Kerber, while her final obstacle was Serena Williams, who hadn't dropped a set at the tournament and who crushed world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki in the semis.

The favorite was Serena Williams because of all her solid wins in the lead-up to the tournament and at the tournament and because she's the owner of 13 Grand Slam titles in singles, including three US Open. However, Stosur was focused, put nerves aside, and played a smart all-round game, while Williams overshadowed her tennis with a verbal attack at chair umpire Eva Asderaki which looked really inappropriate and showed Williams' lack of class.

The incident happened after Williams lost the first set 6-2 in 31 minutes and was facing a break point in the beginning of the second. Williams hit a forehand winner and looked to have saved the break point, but she shouted "Come on!" before the ball reached Stosur’s racquet, and the umpire gave the point to Stosur, which meant Williams dropped serve. Williams was so angry at the umpire and started telling her various inappropriate things, such as that she was a hater and loser (if our commentator here transferred the words well) and that outrage continued through a few games.

At that time, Williams turned her anger into powerful serves and Stosur held back. It looked as if it could be a turning point to Williams' advantage. However, Stosur returned her concentration and game, went through the rest of the set and won the final with a decisive 6-2 6-3 score.

Williams is under investigation for her outburst, and her 2009 US Open angry tirade, for which she's still under probation, only puts more weight to the incident.

Stosur can enjoy the time of her life, her first Grand Slam title, so rightfully deserved. She is the first Australian woman to win US Open since 1973. (photo: Philip Hall/USTA)

Caroline Wozniacki can remind us of her amazing number of titles and matches won, but that will do little to silence the ever-more-annoying yet understandable criticism of her occupying the number one ranking. In her first meeting with Serena Williams since she overtook the top ranking from the American, Wozniacki had a perfect opportunity to show that her defensive game works against everyone, but that was far from the truth. Instead, the Dane was humbled by Serena's intimidating first serve and power tennis, and will finish yet another season without a Grand Slam title.

Not long ago Serena was hospitalized for blood clots in her lungs and this US Open is only her sixth tournament after almost a year-long absence with injuries and health problems, but the 13-time Grand Slam champions needs no warmup – of those six tournaments she won two Premier-level titles and is now in the final of the US Open without dropping a set on the way. Her 11 aces in the semifinal, and 34 winners to Wozniacki's five, could only leave the Dane awe-struck.

Wozniacki is known for being strong and not letting the critics take away her pleasure in enjoying the top ranking and great win-loss record, and unfortunately, she will still need lots of good verbal defense after being blown away by Serena 6-2 6-4 in the US Open semifinals.

Serena's last obstacle to her fourth US Open trophy will be Samantha Stosur, who defeated surprise semifinalist Angelique Kerber 6-3 2-6 6-2. The 92-ranked Kerber started nervously but didn't let the semifinal finish straightforward, taking the second set from Stosur before permitting the Australian to take a 5-0 lead in the third set. The world No.10 Stosur, who had a rollercoaster ride to reach the semis, said that she realized her dream by reaching the final of the US Open, after twenty years of tennis career.

Stosur played the final of Roland Garros 2010 and lost it to Francesca Schiavone. Williams leads Stosur 4-2 in career meetings, and her most recent victory was this year in Toronto final. They met later at Cincinnati, but Stosur advanced with a walkover. (photos: © Neal Trousdale)

Serena Williams (28) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (1)

This semifinal will be especially interesting because it is an encounter of a supposed deserved No.1 and real No.1. Wozniacki has to win this one if she wants to prove all the doubters in her game wrong, this is a perfect opportunity to do so. Since Wozniacki overtook the top position in the rankings from Serena, the two haven't clashed, but in their last and only two meetings in 2009, Williams won.

Serena is yet to lose a set at the tournament. The quarterfinal with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova featured six breaks of serve in the beginning before Serena got on track and in the 12th game broke the Russian to take the first set. In the second set Williams lost just three points on her serve and ended the match with her sixth ace. Final score: 7-5 6-1.

Wozniacki advanced with a 6-1 7-6(5) win over Andrea Petkovic. Wozniacki let a 5-3 lead in the second set slip and ended up playing a tiebreak, in which Petkovic made five unforced errors and spoiled the comeback.

Samantha Stosur (9) vs. Angelique Kerber

How many people would name the 92-ranked Kerber a potential US Open semifinalist before the tournament started? The German exited all the three previous 2011 Grand Slams in the first round and her best Grand Slam results were two third round appearances – at Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2010, the year in which she played her one and only WTA final at Bogota.

Kerber reached the semifinals with a hard-fought 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory over world No.25 Flavia Pennetta, which followed her wins over Monica Niculescu, Alla Kudyavtseva, Agnieszka Radwanska and Lauren Davis.

One thing that was endangering Stosur's quarterfinal form was the fact that she played two very demanding matches in previous rounds. Her third round against Nadia Petrova was the longest women's singles match at the US Open (it lasted three hours and 16 minutes) and in the following round against Maria Kirilenko Stosur played another historic match which will stay in WTA archives as an encounter with the longest women's tiebreak in Grand Slam history (that match lasted almost three hours).

However, Stosur extended her epic run and stormed past last year's US Open runner-up Vera Zvonareva 6-3 6-3. It is Stosur's eighth straight win over the Russian. Actually, Stosur is the only player who has defeated Zvonareva eight times in a row.

The 2011 US Open semifinal will be the first meeting of Stosur and Kerber. photos: © Neal Trousdale)