ISTANBUL, Turkey - American Liezel Huber will finish the 2011 season ranked doubles world No.1 for the fourth time in her career. Huber will extend her total number of weeks as doubles No.1 to at least 164, through the week of January 2, 2012, thus passing former partner Cara Black and moving into second place on the all-time list, behind Martina Navratilova (237 weeks).
Huber has won 48 career doubles titles, including five this season. In February she won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with Spain's María José Martínez Sánchez and has since captured four titles with current partner, Lisa Raymond: the Rogers Cup (Toronto), the US Open, the Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo) and, finally, the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships in Istanbul.
Huber owns five Grand Slam doubles titles (2005 Wimbledon, 2007 Australian Open, 2007 Wimbledon and 2008 US Open, with Black; and 2011 US Open, with Raymond). This week in Istanbul she was making her fifth WTA Championships appearance, having previously won two titles in 2007 and 2008 (both with Black).
Katarina Srebotnik and Kveta Peschke will conclude the season as the No.1 doubles team. Having played together since the start of 2010, Srebotnik and Peschke have won six doubles titles together this year, highlighted by capturing Wimbledon, a first Grand Slam women's doubles title for both.
"Congratulations to Liezel for ending the season as WTA's doubles No.1 player for the fourth time in her career. Because of her consistency through the years, Liezel is undoubtedly one of the best doubles players in the history of women's tennis," said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the WTA.
"Katarina and Kveta had an incredible season, winning a number of titles and their maiden Grand Slam," Allaster added. "I look forward to seeing them build on their success next year."
