Already considered by many to be the world's best women's tennis player, Serena Williams will now have the ranking to back up that lofty claim. According to the WTA's official Twitter feed, Williams will regain the world No. 1 ranking following this week's Qatar Open following her defeat of Petra Kvitova on Friday: 
 
 New World No.1! @serenawilliams fights back from 14 down in the 3rd to beat Petra Kvitova 36 63 75 & will become World No. 1 on Monday! #WTA — WTA (@WTA) February 15, 2013 
 
 Though Williams regaining the No. 1 ranking would not be especially notable under normal circumstances, this is no regular ascent. According to Sports Illustrated's Beyond the Baseline Twitter feed, Williams, 31, will become the oldest top-ranked player in WTA history: 
 
 Oldest No. 1 in WTA history. But, you know, she's so over it. RT @nidssserz "Serena is #1". Yes you are.twitpic.com/c40z9e — Beyond The Baseline (@SI_BTBaseline) February 15, 2013 
 
 Following the match, Williams tweeted out her gratitude to her supporters, saying it "feels so good" to be back at No. 1: 
 
 Thanks everyone for all the support. Back to number one. #1 and it feels so good. Serena #1 — Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) February 15, 2013 
 
 This will mark the first time in a little over two years that Williams has held the top spot. She lost her seat atop the women's tennis world to Caroline Wozniacki late in an injury-plagued 2010 season. 
 
 Williams' ranking has ebbed and flowed throughout her career, but many saw her struggles with injury in 2010 and 2011 as a possible endpoint to her spot on the throne. 
 
 Where does Serena Williams rank all-time among women's tennis players? First Top Five Top 10 Outside the Top 10 Submit Vote vote to see results Where does Serena Williams rank all-time among women's tennis players? First 50.0% 
 
 Top Five 46.0% 
 
 Top 10 3.0% 
 
 Outside the Top 10 0.9% Total votes: 1,327 
 
 However, last season saw Williams return to a prime-level dominance. She won a WTA-best seven calendar titles in 2012, including back-to-back Grand Slam championships at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open to finish off her season. She also came away with her first Olympic gold medal in singles competition at the 2012 Games in London, her fourth overall gold. 
 
 That fantastic season led to Williams winning the WTA Player of the Year Award and finishing 2012 as the third-ranked player in the world. 
 
 Though we're extremely early in the 2013 campaign, Williams hasn't showed any signs of slowing down. She won the season's first tournament at the Brisbane International and reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before losing to Sloane Stephens, thanks in part to a cringe-worthy ankle injury. 
 
 With her ankle healed and the Qatar Open field seemingly at her mercy, Williams has once again looked like the most dominant player in the world. Now the rankings just reflect what we've all been seeing on the tennis court. 
 
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 An emotional Serena Williams has sealed her return to the top of women's tennis, overcoming a series of potentially career-ending injuries since 2010 to become the oldest woman to hold the No. 1 ranking. 
 
 Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic returns the ball to Serena Williams of the U.S. during their quarterfinal of the WTA Qatar Ladies Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Osama... (Associated Press) 
 
 Maria Sharapova of Russia celebrates winning her singles match against Czech Republic's Klara Zakopalova during the fourth day of the WTA Qatar Ladies Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, Thursday ,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Serena Williams of the U.S. returns the ball to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic during their quarterfinal of the WTA Qatar Ladies Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Osama... (Associated Press) 
 
 Serena Williams of the U.S. celebrates after winning against Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova in their WTA Qatar Ladies Open tennis quarterfinal match in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Osama... (Associated Press) 
 
 Belarus' Victoria Azarenka celebrates after winning against Sara Errani of Italy in their WTA Qatar Ladies Open tennis quarterfinal match in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal) (Associated Press) 
 
 Maria Sharapova of Russia returns the ball to Samantha Stosur of Australia in the quarterfinal of the WTA Qatar Ladies Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, Friday , Feb. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal) (Associated Press) 
 
 Maria Sharapova of Russia returns the ball to Samantha Stosur of Australia in the quarterfinal of the WTA Qatar Ladies Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal) (Associated Press) 
 
 Belarus' Victoria Azarenka celebrates after winning against Sara Errani of Italy in their WTA Qatar Ladies Open tennis quarterfinal match in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal) (Associated Press) 
 
 Needing to reach the Qatar Open semifinals to replace Victoria Azarenka of Belarus when the rankings are issued next week, the 31-year-old Williams came from a set down to beat former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the quarterfinals on Friday. 
 
 Williams held up one finger after clinching the match with an ace and wiped away the tears as she addressed the cheering crowd. 
 
 "I never thought I would be here again," Williams said. "Oh my gosh, I've been through so much. I never thought I would be here. Thank you Jehovah (she is a Jehovah Witness) for giving me another chance." 
 
 Chris Evert held the top ranking in 1985 just shy of her 31st birthday. 
 
 It has been a long journey back to the top for Williams. 
 
 Shortly after winning Wimbledon in 2010, she cut her feet on broken glass while on her way out of a restaurant in Germany. That led to two operations on her right foot. Later, she got clots in her lungs and needed to inject herself with a blood thinner. Those shots led to a pool of blood gathering under her stomach's skin, requiring another hospital procedure. 
 
 Williams lost the top spot to Caroline Wozniacki in 2010 and tumbled down the rankings. But she made a comeback worthy of a No. 1 in 2012, winning Wimbledon, the Olympic gold medal, the U.S. Open and the season-ending WTA championships. She lost only one match in 2012 after her first-round exit at the French Open. 
 
 "There were often times that I never thought I'd play again. Then I thought I'd never be able to win tournaments or Grand Slams," Williams said. "No. 1 was so far off. I mean, it was always a dream, but, you know, I was No. 1 when tragedy struck, and it was just an awful thing to happen. So I'm happy that I'm back." 
 
 Among those to pay tribute to Williams becoming No. 1 was Maria Sharapova, the American's next opponent, who said it proved the staying power of the game's older players. 
 
 "It just shows you how the generations have shifted a bit," Sharapova said. "You know, maybe five, 10 years ago you saw a lot of the younger players achieving much more success and winning Grand Slams. And now, you know, you see Li Na and Serena doing so well ... It just shows you how if you stay healthy and you're able to keep working hard, the things that you're able to achieve in tennis at that age." 
 
 WTA chairman Stacey Allaster called it an "amazing accomplishment" for a "superstar champion who has played an integral role, over the past 15 years, in solidifying tennis as the global leader in women's sports." 
 
 It wasn't a dominating performance on Friday from the 15-time Grand Slam winner. Erratic at times and appearing to favor her right ankle that she injured at the Australian Open, Williams committed 31 unforced errors throughout the match and hit eight double faults. 
 
 She also struggled early on with the Czech's serve and forehand in the first set. But her own serve saved her, especially in the second set when she went on to win 13 of the final 14 points _ pumping her fist several times and screaming, the first signs of emotion to be seen so far in the tournament. 
 
 Down 4-1 in the decider, Williams broke Kvitova when she double faulted to make it 4-3. Though it seemed the match would go to a tiebreaker, Williams broke with a wicked crosscourt backhand to make 6-5 and won it with one of her 14 aces 
 
 "I stuck in there, and I just never gave up. I always felt like if I can just keep fighting and I can just try to do it," Williams said. "I definitely did not play great. With that being said, I think Petra played unbelievable, and I think she was just hitting shots I had no chance to get. I don't think anyone on this tour could have gotten." 
 
 Azarenka, meanwhile, stayed on course to retain her Qatar Open title after dispatching Sara Errani 6-2, 6-2 to also reach the semis. She was joined by Sharapova, who advanced by beating 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur 6-2, 6-4. 
 
 Agnieszka Radwanska beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 7-5 to set up a meeting with Azarenka. 
 
 Azarenka won all 14 net points in the match to make it 12 straight victories in 2013, including winning a second consecutive Australian Open title. 
 
 "The score never tells the whole story, really. We had a lot of really long rallies. I was expecting that. She's a very good fighter," Azarenka said. "I really felt like I took big advantage of the important moments, stayed aggressive, and really dictated my game." 
 
 The third-ranked Sharapova, looking for her third title in Qatar, broke Stosur twice to lead 4-1 in the first set. She took a 3-0 lead in the second before Stosur staged a brief comeback, but she missed a chance to level at 4-4. The Russian closed it out when her backhand clipped the net and dropped over. 
 
 "I really started playing well when I had to and being aggressive at the right times," Sharapova said. "On the important points when I had to, I came up with really great first serves. That helped me win."
– Serena Williams managed to make some history today by winning a quarterfinals match at a tournament in Qatar. The victory means that when the new rankings come out next week, the 31-year-old will be the oldest woman to hold the No. 1 spot, reports AP. Chris Evert got there at age 30 in 1985. It's a remarkable feat for a player who suffered so many injuries in 2010 that many thought her career was finished, notes Bleacher Report. "I never thought I would be here again," said Williams. "Oh my gosh, I've been through so much. I never thought I would be here. Thank you Jehovah for giving me another chance."