Maria Sharapova is defying the odds in Singapore. Despite coming into the WTA Finals without completing a competitive match since Wimbledon in July, she has won her first two matches against Agnieszka Radwanska and Simona Halep, and she looks to be in good enough form to win the event.

In the first of her victories, against Radwanska, Sharapova was not quite at her best, but she demonstrated her trademark fighting qualities and immense mental strength to fight back from a set down and win. Then she stepped it up against Halep, taking charge of the crucial points to defeat a tough opponent relatively comfortably. Now she only needs to win a set in her third round-robin match against Flavia Pennetta to seal her place in the semifinals.

Admittedly, the scheduling was kind to Sharapova, serving up an opening encounter that enabled her to fine-tune her shots by forcing her to play lots of long rallies during a long, hard-fought match with Radwanska that lasted two hours and 47 minutes. The Pole capitalised on the rustiness in Sharapova’s game to win a tight first set 6-4, but the Russian upped her game immediately to race into a 3-0 lead at the start of the second set, and she did not look back until the finish line was in sight. At that point, closing-out nerves kicked in, and Sharapova conceded one of her two breaks. But she held her nerve on the second time around, and served successfully for a 4-6 6-3 6-4 win.

Sharapova started much more quickly in her second match, and she surprised Halep by hitting top form straight away and opening up a 2-0 lead. But the Romanian hit straight back to level it at 2-2 during a high-quality start to the match. It remained closely fought until the 10th game of the set, when Halep served poorly to gift Sharapova three set points. She saved two, but Sharapova cracked a winner to take the third, and it was virtually match over at that point. The Russian played a superb second set and could have won it 6-1, but she suffered similar nerves to her first match with Radwanska and allowed herself to be broken twice. It did not matter, as she claimed the final point with a classic down-the-line backhand winner to break Halep again and win the match 6-4 6-4.

While the world No. 4 may need to eradicate her closing-out wobbles to win the WTA Finals, she is certainly showing enough of her famous qualities to suggest she can do it. Sharapova’s serve could do with some work, but her groundstrokes look strong off both sides, her net game is improving all the time, and she is moving well. She is also fighting as fiercely as ever and is never beaten until the very last point. If one of her competitors is to beat her this week, they will have to do it by outplaying her on the key points and capitalizing on any opportunities that come their way. Forget Sharapova was injured; she is ready to battle for the title. Who would bet against her now?