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Spectators arrive at the venue of the WTA Finals in Singapore October 20, 2014. The top eight women in world tennis have limped to the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore this week, with creaking knees and form fears casting a shadow over the WTA's latest big tournament push in Asia. World number one Serena Williams headlines the event, but there are concerns about her fitness after the 33-year-old American quit the Beijing tournament earlier this month because of knee pain. Williams went to Europe for tests and was one of the last to arrive in Singapore this week but said she was good to go as she bids for a fifth and third consecutive WTA Finals title. Reuters/Edgar Su

The tennis world has been shaken up by the news of the unexpected passing of young Russian tennis player Violetta Degtiareva. The 23-year-old Degtiareva reportedly died on Jan. 12 of suspected heart failure. Who is Violetta Degtiareva? Here are a few things you might want to know.

Degtiareva was born on July 9, 1991 in Rostov, Russia. Rostov is a city situated in the southwestern portion of the northern Eurasia country near the border of Ukraine.

Even though Degtiareva has not won any grand slam title, she became popular because of her eye-catching good looks. With her blonde hair and sexy figure, she was often compared with retired professional player Anna Kournikova, who also gained popularity during her active years in tennis despite winning any major tennis event.

Degtiareva was ranked 1086th in the Women’s Tennis Association’s world rankings at the time of her death. She achieved her career-high singles rank in November 2014 at 947th place after she reached the quarterfinals of an International Tennis Federation, or ITF, event in Turkey. Degtiareva’s highest doubles rank was at the 858th place, which she has achieved in October 2014.

The 23-year-old Russian competed in 20 ITF tournaments, including singles and doubles events, during the 2014 season. Her win-loss record for singles and double events were 12-25 and 20-26, respectively. Degtiareva last played in the claycourt event in Antalya, Turkey.

It's only recently that the news about her death made headlines after fellow tennis player Anastasia Vdovenco announced it on Facebook. Subsequently, various media outlets have started reporting it. Vdovenco, on the other hand, has clarified in another post that she knew nothing about the real cause of Degtiareva’s death.

“Dear representatives of the media, about the cause of the death of Violetta Degtyareva, I know no more than the other players and I ask the journalists not to write false information on my behalf, Vdovenco wrote. “I, like everyone who knew Violet grieve over it, and I still cannot believe it, I offer my sincere condolences to the family of Violetta.”

At this point in time, the cause of Degtiareva’s death remains a mystery. Central European News initially reported that Degtiareva collapsed during a training session and died on the court. However, a report by Russian news site Don News dismissed the story, saying that Degtiareva has not really carried out any training session this year.

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