SINGAPORE -- The WTA Finals ended on a surprising note, with Dominika Cibulkova beating top-ranked Angelique Kerber?6-3, 6-4 for the title. The Slovakian ended a remarkable season by Kerber, who won two Grand Slam trophies and reached the final of a third.With the win, Cibulkova moved up to the No. 5 ranking in the world and showed she will be a legitimate threat moving forward. Heres what else we learned during the weeklong year-end championships:1. Womens tennis has never been more exciting: Yes, its more exciting and unpredictable than the ATP. These WTA Finals were a roller-coaster ride from start to finish because of the competitiveness between the players. Svetlana Kuznetsova only qualified by winning the Kremlin Cup final the day before the WTA Finals kicked off in Singapore, and both she and Karolina Pliskova had to save match points to win their opening round-robin matches. Cibulkova snuck into the semifinals despite losing two round-robin matches, but it could just as easily have been Simona Halep or Madison Keys in her place. From start to finish, the WTA Finals were filled with exciting, topsy-turvy matches.?2. Despite the loss, Kerber could be a long-term successor to Serena Williams: Despite losing the final to an inspired Cibulkova, Kerber only enhanced her growing reputation. Oozing with confidence and comfortable with her new status, the 28-year-old navigated her way to the final with clinical efficiency, dealing with everything that came her way. Even in the final, when Cibulkova played the match of her life, Kerber almost pulled it out of the fire, saving three match points before Cibulkova got a lucky break with a net cord that ended the contest.3. The days of wunderkinds winning Grand Slams could be a way off: Serena may have won her first major as a teenager, but her biggest legacy may end up being inspiring older women to stick at it for longer. Although the grueling round-robin nature of the WTA Finals should in theory benefit younger players, it instead favored the more experienced brigade. The four youngest players in the tournament were all eliminated after the round-robin phase, and the four semifinalists were all 27 and older.4. Madison Keys is a work in progress, but the wait could be worth it: Still just 21, she was the youngest player to qualify and clearly has all the weapons to dominate her opponents, with a thunderbolt serve and ferocious groundstrokes. The trick for her now is to get her temperament right, but she appears to have a good head on her shoulders. She admitted that her nerves got the better of her at times in Singapore but was mature enough to recognize thats an area she needs to fix. She also took note of what was happening on the other side of the net, watching how the older European players went about their business and consoling herself in the knowledge they also took their time before breaking through.5. Theres still a place in the game for smaller players: At 5-foot-3, Cibulkova could be riding in the Kentucky Derby if she werent such a good tennis player. But what she lacks in height she makes up for with sheer tenacity, with aggressive groundstrokes and never giving up, fetching more balls than a golden retriever. Hers was a win for the sports romantics, overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to win the biggest tournament of her life at a time when most everyone is resigned to thinking that big is better. Clearance MLB Custom Jerseys . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Wholesale MLB Custom Jerseys . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. http://www.mlbcustomjerseys.com/custom-chicago-white-sox-jerseys-70p.html . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. Baseball Custom Jerseys China . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play. Nike Baseball Custom Jerseys . LOUIS -- St. Steve Gleasons story is both inspirational and tragic. A beloved former safety and special teams player for the New Orleans Saints, Gleason retired in 2008 and announced in 2011 that he was battling?amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrigs disease.Gleason has devoted his post-NFL life to raising awareness for ALS and to cultivating a positive legacy. His Twitter account reads: Inspiring people to live with purpose. Although his life has a new focus now, he still makes time to enjoy the game he loves.?Seen above, Gleason makes a visit to his former stomping grounds and takes a selfie with his former coach Sean Payton, who has been at the helm for the Saints since 2006.Gleason is perhaps best remembered for his punt block in a 2006 game against the Atlanta Falcons; the block led to Saints cornerback Curtis Deloatch recovering the ball in the Falcons end zone for a touchdown.It was the first score on home soil for the Saints in nearly two years, aas New Orleans was on the tailend of recovering from the devastation that Hurricane Katrina brought on the city.dddddddddddd?Gleason is determined to face adversity head on and live his life to the fullest. The documentary Gleason, which was released earlier this year, chronicles his journey from playing in the NFL to living with ALS and depicts how he works to help others who have been diagnosed with the disease.This season marks the 50-year-anniversary of the Saints organization. In honor of this, the Saints have named an All 50 Team, which comprises 50 of the best Saints players throughout the past 50 seasons. All members of the All-50 team will be honored in a halftime ceremony on Sunday when the Saints play the Detroit Lions. Gleason, naturally, was named to the team. A well deserved honor for an incredible person.--Meaghan Latella ' ' '