Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic dominated the finals at the ATP-WTA China Open on Sunday, with two-time Roland Garros winner Sharapova moving back to second in the rankings after a defeat of Petra Kvitova 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
Sharapova will leapfrog on Monday from her fourth position to stand second behind Serena Williams.
But with the American now back in Europe with a knee injury and unsure if she will play the year-end event in Singapore,. the door could be open for Sharapova to possibly take the year-end number one ranking.
Djokovic remained undefeated in the Chinese capital on 24-0 after crushing Tomas Berdych 6-0, 6-2 in barely an hour. The runaway win marked the Serb's fifth title in Beijing and put him solidly in command of the ATP top spot.
Sharapova said she had to work for her fourth trophy victory of the season and first since sinning the French Open in June.
"It was a bit of an up-and-down match I'd say - maybe not the best out of the tournament," said the player who lost last week early in Wuhan.
"I just had to settle down a bit. Sometimes it just takes a few little things to change things around - maybe some of those results ultimately get you to this position.
Sharapova now owns 2014 trophies in Stuttgart, Madrid, Roland Garros and Beijing. Djokovic, has been untouchable over his career in the Chinese capital, with the holder breaking Berdych six times on the way to is fifth Beijing title. "For me it's just important to focus on what I need to do in my own matches.
There is a bit more just joy and happiness when you become number one, that is pretty special." "I do feel great and I play some of my best tennis on this court," he said of the Beijing venue where he has dominated for half a decade."
