She is nicknamed the "Pocket Rocket" for her all-action style of tennis but Dominika Cibulkova suppressed those urges to dart around when she proudly posed with the Billie Jean King trophy at Clifford Pier yesterday.

The Slovakian, in a black dress and matching heels, held aloft the fruits of her labours after a 6-3, 6-4 win over world No. 1 Anglique Kerber in the BNP Paribas WTA Finals at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Sunday evening.

For Cibulkova, who has risen to a career-high No. 5 in the world rankings after this win, it had been a triumph against the odds.

The shortest of the eight women's singles finalists in Singapore at 1.61m, the 27-year-old compensated for her lack of physique with big serves and big hits topped with generous sprinklings of aggression.

Her attacking approach won her big. She scored 28 wins - double of what Kerber could muster.

A forehand was measured at 115kmh, compared with the German's 104kmh. And she did it by scurrying around the court.

At the end of it all, she can afford to stand still, smile and soak in what she had just achieved.