Serena Williams reigns supreme in Istanbul

Serena Williams claimed her seventh WTA title of the year with a powerful win over Maria Sharapova in the final of the season-ending WTA Championships in Istanbul on Sunday. American Williams took the first set 6-4 and followed up in the second by beating the Russian 6-3 with a late barrage of forehand winners.

The victory caps off an impressive 2012 for Williams who has lifted trophies at Wimbledon, Madrid, Charleston, the London Olympics and the US Open. "I would say it's pretty much the best season of my career, a little bit of a slow start though, so I have to give it to 2002 - but there's always 2013," Williams told(www.wtatennis.com).

Sharapova was full of praise for Williams. "She had another great serving day against me - I don't think I even had a break point," Sharapova said.

(Reporting By Mark Pangallo, Editing by Mark Meadows)