No 1 ranking spurring Simona's slam dreams

SINGAPORE - Simona Halep is still searching for her first Grand Slam title but the Romanian said the consolation of ending the year as world No 1 will help motivate her for another run at a major next season.

The 26-year-old fell to a crushing defeat to Jelena Ostapenko in the French Open final in June, her second championship loss at Roland Garros, but a win over the Latvian in Beijing this month took her to the top of the rankings.

"Well, I can say that it's a great feeling that I can finish the year with the top ranking," Halep said at the WTA Finals in Singapore on Sunday.