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Serena Williams becomes oldest `World Number 1`

America`s Serena Williams battled from a set down to win her quarter-finals match at the Qatar Open, becoming the oldest woman to be crowned `World Number 1`.

Zeenews Sports Bureau
Qatar: America`s Serena Williams battled from a set down to win her quarter-finals match at the Qatar Open, becoming the oldest woman to be crowned `World Number 1`. Williams, once a dominant force in women`s tennis, suffered multiple misfortunes in 2011, first with injuries and then with a life-threatening illness, slipping down from her number 1 spot to a lowly 175th. But her return has been equally dramatic, capped by her 3-6 6-3 7-5 win over Petra Kvitova to reclaim her spot at the top of the rankings, the sixth time she`s achieved this feat. With stats like 59 wins in her last 62 games, it`s safe to say she`s in some of the best form of her career, even as she inches towards her 32nd birthday in September this year. "I never thought I would be here again," said a teary and overwhelmed Serena after the match, "I`ve been through so much and I just never thought I`d be here, so thank you Jehovah for giving me another chance." The last time she was World Number 1 was in October 2010 and the first time she won the accolade was all the way back in July 2002 when she was just 20. She beat Chris Evert`s record, who achieved the number 1 status in 1985, just short of her 31st birthday.