Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

Maria Sharapova has dropped to third in the rankings heading into the US Open, But the Russian has held the longtime lead where it also counts – pacing the rich list of women’s athletes to leave top-ranked tennis rival Serena Williams a distant second in the money sweep.

Sharapova, who has stretched her wings into marketing with her successful Sugarpova candy venture, again leads the annual listing by a wide margin. The 28-year-old Russian remains the world’s highest-paid female athletes for the 11th straight year, as judged by Forbes magazine.

The five-time Grand Slam champion earned $29.7 million in global prize money and endorsements between July 2014-June 2015. That compares with $24.6 million for Williams,, who may have the power on court but has not been able to connect with sponsors in the way that Sharapova has for years.

Third on the women’s earning list was Danish player Caroline Wozniacki, earning a healthy $14.6 million in earnings and $11 million coming from off-court activities and contracts.

Other than tennis players – who dominated seven of the top 10 positions – the financial table also included MMA fighter Ronda Rousey, who came eighth, making the list for the first time.

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.