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==Groupings==
==Groupings==
In this years edition of the year-end championships features 3 former world no. 1, 2 Grand Slam champions and 7 of them has reach a Grand Slam final. Two of them are making their debut at the championships. As last year, the competitors have been divided into two groups named for the colors of the Qatari flag. The Maroon group is comprised of no. 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki, no. 4 seed Francesca Schiavone, no. 5 seed Samantha Stosur and no. 7 seed Elena Dementieva. and the White Group is composed of no. 2 seed Vera Zvonareva, no, 3 seed Kim Clijsters, no. 6 seed Jelena Jankovic and no. 8 seed Victoria Azarenka.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wtatour.com/SEWTATour-Archive/posting/2010/808/MDS.pdf |title=WTA Championships 2010 - Singles Draw |author= |date=October 24, 2010 |work=Sony Ericsson WTA Tour |publisher= |accessdate=October 24, 2010}}</ref> Li Na and Shahar Pe'er serves as alternates.
This year's edition of the year-end championships features three former World number ones, two Grand Slam champions, seven Grand Slam finalists. Two of them are making their debut at the championships. As in last year's tournament, the competitors have been divided into two groups representing the colors of the Qatari flag. The Maroon group is comprised of no. 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki, no. 4 seed Francesca Schiavone, no. 5 seed Samantha Stosur and no. 7 seed Elena Dementieva. The White Group is composed of no. 2 seed Vera Zvonareva, no, 3 seed Kim Clijsters, no. 6 seed Jelena Jankovic and no. 8 seed Victoria Azarenka.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wtatour.com/SEWTATour-Archive/posting/2010/808/MDS.pdf |title=WTA Championships 2010 - Singles Draw |author= |date=October 24, 2010 |work=Sony Ericsson WTA Tour |publisher= |accessdate=October 24, 2010}}</ref> Li Na and Shahar Pe'er serve as alternates.


In the White Group, all players have reached grand slam finals, with [[Francesca Schiavone]] having won the 2010 French Open, beating [[Samantha Stosur]] in the final. In their head-to-heads to the players in their group, Caroline Wozniacki is 7-7, Francesca Schiavone is 9-12, Samantha Stosur is 8-8 and [[Elena Dementieva]] is 14-11. With Wozniacki leading her group, she has mixed head-to-heads in her group, she has a winning record against Dementieva leading the Russian 4-3, and winning both their encounters in the year in the semifinals of [[2010 Pilot Pen Tennis|Pilot Pen Tennis]] 1-6 6-3 7-6(5) and in the finals of the [[2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open|Toray Pan Pacific Open]] 1-6 6-2 6-3. Against Stosur, she has a 2-all record, with their last meeting being won by Stosur in the [[2009 HP Open]] 6-0 4-6 6-4. However against, Schiavone the top seed has a losing record of 1-2, with her only win coming in this years [[2010 Rogers Cup|Rogers Cup]] 6-3 6-2, while Schiavone winning their other encounter in the year, in the clay at the [[2010 French Open|French Open]] 6-2 6-3. Dementieva, on the other hand has a winning record against both Stosur and Schiavone, as she is 4-2 against Stosur, winning their first three encounters, while Stosur winning their last encounter in this year's [[2010 US Open (tennis)|US Open]] in a tight match 6-3 2-6 7-6(2). On the other hand, Elena is 7-5 against Schiavone with Dementieva winning 2 of their 3 encounters in the year in the Toray Pan Pacific Open and [[2010 Medibank International Sydney|Medibank International Sydney]], while Schiavone winning their match in the French Open semi-finals when Dementeiva retired after losing the first set. On the match-up of the French Open finalist Stosur and Schiavone, Stosur leads 4-2 with Schiavone winning their last match at the finals of the [[2010 French Open|French Open]] 6-3 2-6 7-6(2), while Stosur won the previous four matches before the said final.
In the White Group, all players have reached grand slam finals, with [[Francesca Schiavone]] having won the 2010 French Open, beating [[Samantha Stosur]] in the final. In their head-to-heads with players within their group, Caroline Wozniacki is 7-7, Francesca Schiavone is 9-12, Samantha Stosur is 8-8 and [[Elena Dementieva]] is 14-11. Wozniacki leading the group, has a mixed record against opponent within her group. She has a winning record against Dementieva, leading the Russian 4-3, and winning both their encounters this year - in the semifinals of [[2010 Pilot Pen Tennis|Pilot Pen Tennis]] 1-6 6-3 7-6(5), and in the finals of the [[2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open|Toray Pan Pacific Open]] 1-6 6-2 6-3. Against Stosur, she has a 2-2 record, with their last match won by Stosur in the [[2009 HP Open]] 6-0 4-6 6-4. However, against Schiavone, the top seed has a losing record of 1-2, with her only win coming in this year's [[2010 Rogers Cup|Rogers Cup]] 6-3 6-2, with Schiavone winning their other encounter in the year, in the clay at the [[2010 French Open|French Open]] 6-2 6-3. Dementieva, on the other hand has a winning record against both Stosur and Schiavone. She is 4-2 against Stosur, winning their first three encounters this year, with Stosur winning their last encounter at the [[2010 US Open (tennis)|US Open]] in a tight match 6-3 2-6 7-6(2). Dementieva is 7-5 against Schiavone, with Dementieva winning 2 of their 3 encounters this year - in the Toray Pan Pacific Open and [[2010 Medibank International Sydney|Medibank International Sydney]], and Schiavone winning their match in the French Open semi-finals, when Dementeiva retired after losing the first set. In the match-up between French Open finalist Stosur and Schiavone, Stosur leads 4-2 with Schiavone winning their last match at the finals of the [[2010 French Open|French Open]] 6-3 2-6 7-6(2). Stosur won the previous four matches before the French Open final.


The Maroon Group features more experience players in the championships as all of them have competed before. In their respective records this years [[2010 Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] and US Open finalist [[Vera Zvonareva]] is 13-14, [[Kim Clijsters]] is 14-5, [[Jelena Jankovic]] is 10-14 and [[Victoria Azarenka]] is 5-10. Like Wozniacki, the leader of the Maroon group Zvonareva also has mixed match-ups in her group. Zvonerava is on a winning record against Azarenka 5-2, they met 3 times in the year with Zvonerava winning their last encounter in the Rogers Cup 7-6(6) 1-0 ret, while Azarenka's 2 wins came only at this year at the Australian Open 4-6 6-4 6-0 and [[2010 Dubai Tennis Championships|Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships]] 6-1 6-3. Against Jankovic, Vera has an even record of 6-6, with Vera winning their last three encounters, including two this year in the Dubai Tennis Championships 6-3 6-2 and [[2010 Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon Championships]] 6-1 3-0. However, against Clijsters she has a losing record of 2-6, with Zvonareva ending the 5 straight match wins of Clijsters when Zvonareva won two straight matches in Wimbledon 3-6 6-3 6-2 and Rogers Cup 2-6 6-3 6-2, whiel Clijsters winning their last encounter in the US Open final 6-2 6-1. Clijsters, on the other hand is the only one on the tournament that has a winning record against all in her group as she is 6-1 against Jankovic with Jankovic winning their last match and her only win against Kim in the [[2009 Rogers Cup]] 1-6 6-3 7-5. Against Azarenka, she is 2-1 splitting their meetings in this year with Clijsters winning in [[2010 Sony Ericsson Open|Sony Ericsson Open]] 6-4 6-0 and Azarenka winning in [[2010 AEGON International|AEGON International]] 7-6(6) 6-4. Azarenka, on the other hand has a losing record against all players in her group, as she is also 2-3 against Jankovic, however Azarenka won their last encounter in last year WTA Tour Championships 6-2 6-3.
The Maroon Group features players with more experience in the championships, as all of them have competed before. In their respective records, this years [[2010 Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] and US Open finalist [[Vera Zvonareva]] is 13-14, [[Kim Clijsters]] is 14-5, [[Jelena Jankovic]] is 10-14 and [[Victoria Azarenka]] is 5-10. Like Wozniacki, the leader of the Maroon group Zvonareva also has a mixed record within her group. Zvonerava has a winning record against Azarenka, 5-2. They met 3 times in the year, with Zvonerava winning their last encounter in the Rogers Cup, 7-6(6) 1-0 ret, while Azarenka's 2 wins came earlier this year, at the Australian Open, 4-6 6-4 6-0 and [[2010 Dubai Tennis Championships|Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships]] 6-1 6-3. Against Jankovic, Zvonareva has an even record of 6-6, with Vera winning their last three encounters, including the Dubai Tennis Championships 6-3 6-2 and the [[2010 Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon Championships]] 6-1 3-0. However, against Clijsters she has a losing record of 2-6. Zvonareva ended a streak of 5 straight Clijsters wins when she won at Wimbledon 3-6 6-3 6-2 and the Rogers Cup 2-6 6-3 6-2, but Clijsters won their last encounter in the US Open final 6-2 6-1. Clijsters is the only one in the tournament that has a winning record against all in her group. She is 6-1 against Jankovic, with Jankovic's only win being their last match at the [[2009 Rogers Cup]] 1-6 6-3 7-5. Against Azarenka, she is 2-1 splitting their meetings this year, with Clijsters winning the [[2010 Sony Ericsson Open|Sony Ericsson Open]] 6-4 6-0 and Azarenka winning the[[2010 AEGON International|AEGON International]] 7-6(6) 6-4. Azarenka has a losing record against all players in her group. She is 2-3 against Jankovic, however Azarenka won their last encounter at the WTA Tour Championships 6-2 6-3.
The four doubles teams will start with the semifinals without group play.
The four doubles teams will start the semifinals without group play.


==Player Head-to-Heads==
==Player Head-to-Heads==

Revision as of 18:46, 25 October 2010

2010 WTA Tour Championships
DateOctober 26 – October 31
Edition40th (singles) / 35th (doubles)
LocationQatar Doha
2009 Champions
Singles
United States Serena Williams
Doubles
Spain Nuria Llagostera Vives / Spain María José Martínez Sánchez
← 2009 · WTA Tour Championships · 2011 →

The 2010 WTA Tour Championships (also known as Sony Ericsson Championships – Doha 2010) will be held in Doha, Qatar from October 26 to October 31. It will be the third and final time that the Khalifa International Tennis Complex hosts the WTA Tour Year-End Singles and Doubles Championships. In 2011 the competition will move to Istanbul, Turkey.

Serena Williams was the defending singles champion. She qualified on October 1, but then withdrew due to a continuing foot injury.
Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez were the defending doubles champions, but they didn't qualify this year.

Qualified players

Singles

Race Singles (as of October 25, 2010)
Rk Player Points Tour Date Qualified
1  Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 7,270 21 September 29[1]
2  Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 6,096 18 October 1[2]
 Serena Williams (USA) 5,355 12(6) Foot injury[3]
3  Kim Clijsters (BEL) 5,295 13(10) October 2[4]
 Venus Williams (USA) 4,985 14(9) Left knee injury
4  Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 4,595 21 October 6[5]
5  Samantha Stosur (AUS) 4,572 18 October 6[5]
6  Jelena Janković (SRB) 4,236 20 October 9[6]
7  Elena Dementieva (RUS) 4,085 20(19) October 9[6]
8  Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 3,935 20 October 20[7]

On September 29, Wozniacki was announced as the first qualifier after she won her second round match in Tokyo.

Caroline Wozniacki enjoyed her best season so far, winning six singles titles, the most on the 2010 Tour, and achieving the world no. 1 ranking after reaching the quarterfinals, and later winning, the China Open. She became the fifth player in the WTA Tour's history to not win a Grand Slam event before achieving the world no. 1 status. She reached her first final of the year at the BNP Paribas Open losing to Jelena Janković 6–2, 6–4. She then won her first title at the MPS Group Championships over Olga Govortsova, 6–2, 7–5. Her best period was after Wimbledon where she won 5 of 7 consecutive tournaments she played, beginning with the e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open where she defeated Klára Zakopalová 6–2, 7–6(5). After this she won back-to-back titles in Rogers Cup over Vera Zvonareva 6–3, 6–2 and the Pilot Pen Tennis over Nadia Petrova 6–3, 3–6, 6–3. Later she again won two consecutive titles in Tokyo and the China Open over Elena Dementieva 1–6, 6–2, 6–3 and Vera Zvonareva 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, respectively. At the Grand Slams, Caroline reached the fourth round of the Australian Open losing to Li Na 6–4, 6–3. She reached her first French Open quarterfinal, but lost there to eventual champion Francesca Schiavone 6–2, 6–3. At Wimbledon she suffered an upset fourth round loss to Petra Kvitová 6–2, 6–0. In the US Open she had her first Grand Slam top seed while world no. 1 Serena Williams was injured, but lost in the semifinals 6–4, 6–3 to Vera Zvonareva.

On October 1, Zvonareva qualified after reaching the quarterfinals in Tokyo.

Vera Zvonareva enjoyed a successful second half of the season. She began the year by falling out of the top 20 after failing to defend her Australian Open semi-final points, when she fell to Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round and failed to defend her title at the BNP Paribas Open. She won her only title of the year in the PTT Pattaya Open as the defending champion defeating local favorite Tamarine Tanasugarn in 6–4, 6–4. She reached five other finals but lost in each of them. She lost to Samantha Stosur 6–0, 6–3 at the Family Circle Cup, to Wozniacki at both the Rogers Cup and the China Open 6–3, 6–2 and 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 respectively. Zvonareva's main success began when she reached her first Grand Slam final at the Wimbledon Championships by defeating Kim Clijsters for the first time in the quarterfinals but losing terribly to defending champion Serena Williams 6–3, 6–2. She reached a consecutive Grand Slam final at the US Open after defeating top seed Caroline Wozniacki in the semi-finals, but ended up losing to defending champion Kim Clijsters. She is bound to reach a career-high world no. 2. This is her fourth appearance at the Tour Championships, reaching the final in 2008.

On October 1, Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters were announced as qualifiers.

Serena Williams began the year by reaching the finals of the Medibank International Sydney losing to Elena Dementieva 6–3, 6–2. She won 2 of the 6 events she played in the year. The first came at the Australian Open defeating rival Justine Henin 6–4, 3–6, 6–2, after surviving Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals being a set and 4–0 down. By winning the title, she set a record of 5 Australian Open titles in the Open Era. She won her second title at the Wimbledon Championships over Vera Zvonareva 6–3, 6–2, in doing so she got ahead of Billie Jean King in the Grand Slam titles won. At the French Open she lost Samantha Stosur 6–3, 6–7(2), 8–6 after failing to convert a match point at 5–4 in the final set. Injuries plagued her throughout the season, missing three months of action after the Australian Open due to a leg injury and another 4 months due to a cut in her right foot after Wimbledon, causing her to miss the US Open and eventually to lose the world number one status. She was the defending champion but announced that she reinjured her foot and is out for rest of 2010.

Kim Clijsters began the year by winning the Brisbane International against the returning Justine Henin 6–3, 4–6, 7–6(6). At the Australian Open she lost in the third round to Nadia Petrova in the worst loss of her career, losing 6–0, 6–1. She claimed her second title of the year at the Sony Ericsson Open, defeating Venus Williams 6–2, 6–1. She missed the French Open due to torn muscle in her left foot, which she attained from Belgium's Fed Cup tie against Estonia. At the Wimbledon Championships, she lost to Vera Zvonareva in the quarterfinals for the first time 3–6, 6–4, 6–2. At the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open she defeated Maria Sharapova in the final 2–6, 7–6(4), 6–2 after saving match points in a rain-delayed final. She then continued her winning streak at the US Open to 21 match wins after defeating Vera Zvonareva 6–2, 6–1 in the final. She is set to compete in her 7th Year-end Championships after winning it twice in 2002 and 2003.

On October 4, Venus Williams was announced as a qualifier for the year-end championship.

Venus Williams continued to struggle in the Grand Slams outside of Wimbledon as she lost to Li Na in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 2–6, 7–6(4), 7–5 despite being two points away from the win. She then won back-to-back titles in Dubai Tennis Championships and the Abierto Mexico Telcel defeating Victoria Azarenka 6–3, 7–5 and Polona Hercog from Slovenia 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, respectively. Venus then reached the final of the Sony Ericsson Open recording a 15 match winning streak but lost to Kim Clijsters 6–2, 6–1. Stepping into clay season at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia she suffered a swift in the quarterfinals 6–0, 6–1 to Jelena Janković. At the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open she reached the final but fell in an upset, losing to Frenchwoman Aravane Rezaï 6–2, 7–5. At the French Open she advanced through the first three rounds but lost to Nadia Petrova 6–4, 6–3. At the Wimbledon Championships after reaching the final for the past three years, she suffered a surprising upset to a then-unknown Tsvetana Pironkova 6–2, 6–3 in the quarterfinals. Venus the missed the US Open Series due to a left knee injury but competed in the US Open where she lost to Kim Clijsters 6–4, 6–7, 4–6 in the Semifinals. She then withdrew from the Year-End Championships due to the same knee injury.

On October 6, French Open finalists Francesca Schiavone and Samantha Stosur both qualified.

Samantha Stosur has had the best year of her career, reaching her first Grand Slam final at the French Open after defeating three former world number ones in Justine Henin, Serena Williams, and Jelena Janković, before being upset by Francesca Schiavone 4–6, 6–7(2). In the other Slams, she lost to the eventual champion at both the Australian Open and US Open, losing to Serena Williams 6–4 6–2 in Australia in the fourth round and to Kim Clijsters at the US Open in the quarterfinals. Her most disappointing loss came at Wimbledon, were she fell in the first round to Kaia Kanepi 4–6, 4–6, becoming the first French Open finalist to lose in the first round of Wimbledon. Despite the loss, she managed a career-high world number 5. She also reached two other finals, in the Family Circle Cup defeating Vera Zvonareva 6–0, 6–3 and in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, losing to Justine Henin 6–4, 2–6, 6–1. She is set to make her debut in the singles of the Year-End Championships.

Francesca Schiavone has also had the best year of her career. She won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open upsetting favorite Samantha Stosur 6–4, 7–6(2). This was her first time to reach a round further than the quarterfinals, and marked her as the first Italian to win a Grand Slam and the highest ranked Italian so far sitting at world number 6. However, along with co-finalist Samantha Stosur she also fell in the first round of Wimbledon to Vera Dushevina 7–6, 5–7, 1–6. She won one other final at the 2010 Barcelona Ladies Open defeating compatriot Roberta Vinci 6–1, 6–1. She also reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals of the US Open losing in both to Venus Williams 3–6, 6–2, 6–1 and 7–6(5), 6–4, respectively. Francesca is making her first appearance in the Year-End Championships.

On October 9, due to Venus Williams' withdrawal, both Elena Dementieva and Jelena Janković secured a spot in the Year-End Championships.

Jelena Janković continued to find the form that brought her to the number 1 ranking. She reached two finals in the year, her first coming on the hard courts of the BNP Paribas Open where she defeated Caroline Wozniacki 6–2, 6–4 and on the clay courts of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia where she defeated both Venus Williams and Serena Williams in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, before falling to María José Martínez Sánchez 6–7(5), 5–7. In the slams, Janković reached her first Grand Slam semifinal since reaching the final of the 2008 US Open at the French Open, losing to Samantha Stosur 6–1, 6–2. She also reached the third rounds of the Australian Open and the US Open losing to Alona Bondarenko 6–2 6–3 and Kaia Kanepi 6–2, 7–6(1), respectively. At the Wimbledon Championships she was able to reach the fourth round before retiring to eventual finalist Vera Zvonareva while traling 6–1, 3–0. She is making her fourth consecutive appearance at the Tour Championships after reaching the semifinals in her previous two trips.

Elena Dementieva had a lopsided season for 2010 as she fell outside of the top ten for the first time since 2008. However, she was able to reach four finals in the year, winning two of them. Her first title came at the Medibank International Sydney where she defeated current world number one, Serena Williams, in the final 6–3, 6–2 and her second at the Open GDF Suez defeating Czech player Lucie Šafářová 6–7(5), 6–1, 6–4. She finished runner-up to compatriot Alisa Kleybanova 6–3, 6–2 at the Malaysian Open and to Caroline Wozniacki 1–6, 6–2, 6–3 at the Toray Pan Pacific Open. In the Grand Slams, Elena got an unlucky draw and fell to eventual finalist Justine Henin, 5–7, 6–7(6) in the second round of the Australian Open, and unfortunately having to retire against Francesca Schiavone after the first set tie-break during her semifinal match at the French Open. The injury also caused her to miss Wimbledon, ending her 46 consecutive main draw appearances at the Grand Slams. At the US Open she was able to reach the fourth round before losing to Samantha Stosur. This is her 10th appearance and has reached the semi-finals twice in 2000 and 2008.

On October 20, Victoria Azarenka replaced Serena Williams to book the final spot in the year-end championships

Victoria Azarenka had a lackluster year compared to her breakout season in 2009. Despite showing good form in the beginning of the year by reaching the semifinals, quarterfinals, and final of Sydney, the Australian Open, and Dubai, respectively, a nagging injury sustained at the Family Circle Cup, caused her to suffer early round upsets during the entire clay court season, including a first round loss at the French Open. At the AEGON International, she showed signs of promise by defeating Agnieszka Radwańska and Kim Clijsters before being upset in the final by Ekaterina Makarova 7–6(5), 6–4. Despite the strong showing at the event, she suffered another upset in the third round of Wimbledon. Her good form from Eastbourne followed into the American hard-court season, winning the Bank of the West Classic by upsetting top seeded Samantha Stosur 6–2, 6–3 in the semifinals and Maria Sharapova 6–4, 6–1 in the final. Another semifinal showing at the Rogers Cup allowed Azarenka to finish in a three-way tie for third at the US Open Series. Despite her good form, a head concussion forced Azarenka to retire in the second round of the US Open. A semifinal showing in Tokyo and reaching the quarterfinals of Moscow allowed Azarenka to take the eighth and final spot. This is her second straight appearance at the Tour Championships.

Doubles

Race Doubles (as of October 25, 2010)
Rk Name Points Tour Date Qualified
1  Gisela Dulko (ARG)
 Flavia Pennetta (ITA)
8,581 16 September 14[8]
2  Květa Peschke (CZE)
 Katarina Srebotnik (SLO)
6,596 17 September 29[1]
 Serena Williams (USA)
 Venus Williams (USA)
5,500 4 Left knee injury, Venus
3  Lisa Raymond (USA)
 Rennae Stubbs (AUS)
5,104 18 October 7[9]
4  Vania King (USA)
 Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ)
4,978 10 October 7[9]

On September 14, Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta qualified for the first time for the year-end championships.

Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta was the breakout team of the year, winning 5 titles together as a team. This is the most of any teams on tour. Their first title came in the Sony Ericsson Open triumphing over Petrova and Stosur 6–3, 4–6, [10–7]. Afterwards they claimed 2 back-to-back titles in the European clay season at the 2010 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and Internazionali BNL d'Italia over the teams of Peschke & Srebotnik 3–6, 7–6(3), [10–5] and Llagostera Vives & Martínez Sánchez 6–4, 6–2. They also won in Swedish Open defeating Voráčová & Záhlavová-Strýcová 7–6(0), 6–0 and in the Rogers Cup defeating Peschke & Srebotnik 7–5, 3–6, [12–10]. They also reach two other finals in Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open losing to Venus Williams & Serena Williams Williams Sisters 6–3, 7–5 and in the China Open being outlasted by Chuang & Govortsova 7–6(2), 1–6, [10–7]. Dulko also won another doubles title in the Copa BBVA-Colsanitas teaming up with Edina Gallovits defeating the team of Savchuk & Yakimova 6–2, 7–6(6). In the Grand Slams, They were able to reach the Semi-finals of the Wimbledon Championships and the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open

On September 29, Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik qualified for the event.

Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik won two titles in the year both coming from the United States, in the BNP Paribas Open over Stosur and Petrova 6–4, 2–6, [10–5] and in the Pilot Pen Tennis over the American tam of Mattek-Sands & Shaughnessy 7–5, 6–0. They also finished runner-up in four events, in the Barcleys Dubai Tennis Championships losing to the Spanish duo of Llagostera Vives & Martínez Sánchez 7–6(5), 6–4,in the AEGON International losing to Raymond and Rennae Stubbs 6–2, 2–6, [13–11] in the Rogers Cup to Dulko & Pennetta 7–5, 3–6, [12–10], and finally in the Generali Ladies Linz losing to Czech's Voráčová & Záhlavová-Strýcová 7–5, 7–6(6). Peschke won another title with Chuang in the Moorilla Hobart International winning the title against Chan & Niculescu 3–6, 6–3, [10–7]. In the Grand Slams, they were able to reach the finals of the French Open losing to Venus and Serena Williams 6–2 6–3, the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships and the third round of the US Open.

On October 7, as the Williams Sisters withdrew the team of Lisa Raymond & Rennae Stubbs and Vania King & Yaroslava Shvedova qualified

Serena Williams and Venus Williams completed a four straight Grand Slam win after winning the Australian Open over top seeds Black and Huber 6–4, 6–3 and the French Open over Peschke and Srebotnik 6–2, 6–3. They won another title in the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open over Dulko and Pennetta 6–2, 7–5. They Grand Slam winning streak ended at 27 when they lost to Vesnina & Zvonareva in the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships. They also became the World no. 1 in doubles for the first time when they won French Open. They eventually withdrew due to Venus' knee injury.

Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs reunited to team up once again and won a title in the AEGON International outlasting Peschke and Srebotnik 6–2, 2–6, [13–11]. Raymond won another title in the AEGON Classic with Black defeating the American team of Huber and Shaughnessy 6–3, 3–2 ret. They reach two other finals in the Mercury Insurance Open 6–4, 6–4 and Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open 7–6(4), 7–6(8) both losing to Kirilenko, with Kirilinko teaming up with Zheng and Azarenka, respectively. They were able to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open, the quarterfinals of Wimbledon Championships and US Open and the third round of the French Open.

Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova began their partnership during the grass season. They became the only team other than the Williams Sisters to win a Slam in the year. Winning both the Wimbledon Championships over Vesnina and Zvonareva 7–6(6), 6–2 and the US Open over Petrova and Huber 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(4). King also won two other titles with different partners, in the Cellular South Cup with Krajicek defeating Mattek-Sands and Shaughnessy 7–5, 6–2 and in the Internationaux de Strasbourg with Cornet outlasting Kudryavtseva & Rodionova 3–6, 6–4, [10–7]. King and Shvedova also finished runner-up to Kudryavtseva & Rodionova in UNICEF Open 3–6, 6–3, [10–8]. King also reach two other finals in the Monterrey Open with Grönefeld losing to Benešová & Záhlavová-Strýcová and Family Circle Cup with Krajicek losing to Huber & Petrova 6–3, 6–4.

Groupings

This year's edition of the year-end championships features three former World number ones, two Grand Slam champions, seven Grand Slam finalists. Two of them are making their debut at the championships. As in last year's tournament, the competitors have been divided into two groups representing the colors of the Qatari flag. The Maroon group is comprised of no. 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki, no. 4 seed Francesca Schiavone, no. 5 seed Samantha Stosur and no. 7 seed Elena Dementieva. The White Group is composed of no. 2 seed Vera Zvonareva, no, 3 seed Kim Clijsters, no. 6 seed Jelena Jankovic and no. 8 seed Victoria Azarenka.[10] Li Na and Shahar Pe'er serve as alternates.

In the White Group, all players have reached grand slam finals, with Francesca Schiavone having won the 2010 French Open, beating Samantha Stosur in the final. In their head-to-heads with players within their group, Caroline Wozniacki is 7-7, Francesca Schiavone is 9-12, Samantha Stosur is 8-8 and Elena Dementieva is 14-11. Wozniacki leading the group, has a mixed record against opponent within her group. She has a winning record against Dementieva, leading the Russian 4-3, and winning both their encounters this year - in the semifinals of Pilot Pen Tennis 1-6 6-3 7-6(5), and in the finals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open 1-6 6-2 6-3. Against Stosur, she has a 2-2 record, with their last match won by Stosur in the 2009 HP Open 6-0 4-6 6-4. However, against Schiavone, the top seed has a losing record of 1-2, with her only win coming in this year's Rogers Cup 6-3 6-2, with Schiavone winning their other encounter in the year, in the clay at the French Open 6-2 6-3. Dementieva, on the other hand has a winning record against both Stosur and Schiavone. She is 4-2 against Stosur, winning their first three encounters this year, with Stosur winning their last encounter at the US Open in a tight match 6-3 2-6 7-6(2). Dementieva is 7-5 against Schiavone, with Dementieva winning 2 of their 3 encounters this year - in the Toray Pan Pacific Open and Medibank International Sydney, and Schiavone winning their match in the French Open semi-finals, when Dementeiva retired after losing the first set. In the match-up between French Open finalist Stosur and Schiavone, Stosur leads 4-2 with Schiavone winning their last match at the finals of the French Open 6-3 2-6 7-6(2). Stosur won the previous four matches before the French Open final.

The Maroon Group features players with more experience in the championships, as all of them have competed before. In their respective records, this years Wimbledon and US Open finalist Vera Zvonareva is 13-14, Kim Clijsters is 14-5, Jelena Jankovic is 10-14 and Victoria Azarenka is 5-10. Like Wozniacki, the leader of the Maroon group Zvonareva also has a mixed record within her group. Zvonerava has a winning record against Azarenka, 5-2. They met 3 times in the year, with Zvonerava winning their last encounter in the Rogers Cup, 7-6(6) 1-0 ret, while Azarenka's 2 wins came earlier this year, at the Australian Open, 4-6 6-4 6-0 and Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships 6-1 6-3. Against Jankovic, Zvonareva has an even record of 6-6, with Vera winning their last three encounters, including the Dubai Tennis Championships 6-3 6-2 and the Wimbledon Championships 6-1 3-0. However, against Clijsters she has a losing record of 2-6. Zvonareva ended a streak of 5 straight Clijsters wins when she won at Wimbledon 3-6 6-3 6-2 and the Rogers Cup 2-6 6-3 6-2, but Clijsters won their last encounter in the US Open final 6-2 6-1. Clijsters is the only one in the tournament that has a winning record against all in her group. She is 6-1 against Jankovic, with Jankovic's only win being their last match at the 2009 Rogers Cup 1-6 6-3 7-5. Against Azarenka, she is 2-1 splitting their meetings this year, with Clijsters winning the Sony Ericsson Open 6-4 6-0 and Azarenka winning theAEGON International 7-6(6) 6-4. Azarenka has a losing record against all players in her group. She is 2-3 against Jankovic, however Azarenka won their last encounter at the WTA Tour Championships 6-2 6-3.

The four doubles teams will start the semifinals without group play.

Player Head-to-Heads

This are the head-to-head records as they approach the tournament.

  Wozniacki Zvonareva Clijsters Schiavone Stosur Janković Dementieva Azarenka Overall
1 Denmark Caroline Wozniacki 3–3 0–1 1–2 2–2 0–4 4–3 3–2 13–17
2 Russia Vera Zvonareva 3–3 2–6 10–0 2–5 6–6 2–5 5–2 30–27
3 Belgium Kim Clijsters 1–0 6–2 11–0 3–0 6–1 11–3 2–1 40–7
4 Italy Francesca Schiavone 2–1 0–10 0–11 2–4 1–3 5–7 1–2 11–38
5 Australia Samantha Stosur 2–2 5–2 0–3 4–2 2–3 2–4 0–4 15–20
6 Serbia Jelena Janković 4–0 6–6 1–6 3–1 3–2 7–3 3–2 27–20
7 Russia Elena Dementieva 3–4 5–2 3–11 7–5 4–2 3–7 3–1 28–32
8 Belarus Victoria Azarenka 2–3 2–5 1–2 2–1 4–0 2–3 1–3 14–17

Prize money & Points

The total prize money for the 2010 Sony Ericsson Championships is 4.5 million United States dollars[11].

Stage Singles Doubles1 Points 3
Champion +$770,000 $375,000 +450
Runner-up +$380,000 $187,500 +360
Round Robin (3 wins) $400,000 $93,7502 690
Round Robin (2 wins) $300,000 530
Round Robin (1 win) $200,000 370
Round Robin (0 wins) $100,000 210
Alternates $50,000
  • 1 Prize money for doubles is per team.
  • 2 Prize money is for doubles semifinalists
  • 3 for every match played in the round robin a player gets 70 points automatically, and for each round robin win they get 160 additional points

Round robin

Day 1

Matches on Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex
Group Winner Loser Score
White Group Russia Vera Zvonareva vs. Serbia Jelena Janković
Maroon Group Denmark Caroline Wozniacki vs. Russia Elena Dementieva
Maroon Group Italy Francesca Schiavone vs. Australia Samantha Stosur
1st match starts at 17:00 local time

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Semifinals

Day 5

Finals

Day 6

Champions

Singles

TBD vs TBD

Doubles

TBD / TBD vs TBD / TBD

References

  1. ^ a b Aaress Lawless (September 29, 2010). "Caroline Wozniacki First Singles Player to Qualify for Season-Ending WTA Championships". On the Baseline Tennis News. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  2. ^ "Zvonareva: Second Qualifier For Doha". Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. October 1, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
  3. ^ "Doha and Federation Cup Withdrawal". Serena Williams. October 19, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  4. ^ "Serena & Kim Qualify For Championships". Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. October 2, 2010. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  5. ^ a b "Schiavone & Stosur Qualify For Doha". Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. October 6, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  6. ^ a b "Jelena & Elena Wrap Up Doha Field". Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. October 9, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  7. ^ "Azarenka Wins & Qualifies For Doha". Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. October 20, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  8. ^ "Gisela & Flavia: First To Qualify". Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. September 14, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  9. ^ a b "Final Four Set For Doha". Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. October 7, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  10. ^ "WTA Championships 2010 - Singles Draw" (PDF). Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. October 24, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  11. ^ point distribution