Tennis stars gather in the 'Lion City' for WTA Finals

Updated 1115 GMT (1915 HKT) October 20, 2014

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Brace yourself for bucket loads of sweat and bags of glitz and glamor. The season-ending championship of women's tennis -- the WTA Finals -- is almost upon as the world's top female players prepare to do battle in Singapore. Who will roar loudest in the "Lion City?" Hong Wu/Matthew Stockman/Chris Hyde/Getty Images

#1: Serena Williams: The No. 1 seed will soon start her title defense in Singapore. After a stuttering slam season, Willliams quieted her critcs by winning the U.S. Open to put her in elite company. She's now tied with Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Each have 18 grand slam singles titles. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/File

#2: Maria Sharapova: The No. 2 seed arrives in Singapore in good form after winning the China Open. Sharapova isn't just a hard court player -- she's had a lot of success on clay during the later stages of her career. In June, she added a fifth grand slam trophy to her cabinet when she won the French Open. Emmanuel Wong/Getty Images

#3: Petra Kvitova: The Czech Republic star is hoping to win the WTA Finals title like she did in 2011. In July, Kvitova beat Genie Bouchard in straight sets in a mere 55 minutes to claim her second Wimbledon title, three years after her first. Feng Li/Getty Images

#4: Simona Halep: The Romanian has qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time in her career. She started the year outside the top 10 -- then shot up the rankings to No. 2 in the world. Halep advanced to the French Open final in June before losing to Sharapova. Feng Li/Getty Images

#5: Eugenie Bouchard: The 20-year-old Canadian has had a stellar year after reaching the Australian Open and French Open semifinals before her Wimbledon final defeat by Kvitova. Bouchard is the youngest competitor in the draw. Hong Wu/Getty Images

#6: Agnieszka Radwanska: Poland's top female player won the Rogers Cup in August in Montreal, but didn't have the results at the slams that she'd been hoping for. Julian Finney/Getty Images/File

#7: Ana Ivanovic: The former No. 1 is back in the top 10 for the first in five years. She started the year by upsetting Serena Williams at the Australian Open before losing in the quarterfinal, and has won four WTA titles this year. Chris Hyde/Getty Images

#8: Caroline Wozniacki: Like Ivanovic, the former world No. 1 is now back in the top 10. The Dane capped off a successful summer by advancing to the U.S. Open final where she lost to her close friend Serena Williams. This is the first time in three years that Wozniacki has qualified for the WTA Finals. Emmanuel Wong/Getty Images