Serving It Up in Doha: Women's Tennis Year-End Championships

Finally the end of another agonizing year for the women’s tour is upon us. As the eight top seeds in the women’s game head off to Doha, the tournament will reveal once and for all who will end 2009 ranked numero uno.  

Poetically, Dinara Safina surpasses Serena Williams to once again be ranked No. 1 as they enter the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships that begin on Oct. 27 in Qatar. Safina is currently ranked five points behind Serena Williams.  

As of Oct. 26, when the new rankings come out, the points from last year’s championship will come off the totals. Safina has earned more points than any other player after winning titles in Rome, Madrid, and Portoroz, as well as reaching six finals. Therefore, she has earned the No. 1 seed.

Players earn points throughout the year, but only the top eight players are awarded entry into the Sony Ericsson Championship Tournament. For doubles, it is the top four teams that gain entry into the year-ending championship.

Who Is in?

No. 1 Dinara Safina                   7,731 points

No. 2 Serena Williams              7,576 points

No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova       5,772 points

No. 4 Caroline Wozniacki         5,475 points

No. 5 Elena Dementieva          5,415 points

No. 6 Victoria Azarenka           4,451 points

No. 7 Venus Williams              4,391 points

No. 8 Jelena Jankovic             3,555 points

Jelena Jankovic just squeaked into the final eight this week when Vera Zvonareva lost to qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova in Moscow during the second round. The two were battling it out for the final eighth spot. Zvonareva blinked first and the feisty Serb is back in contention.

In 2008, Venus Williams won the tournament as the No. 7 seed, fighting for the championship against the No. 8 seed, Vera Zvonareva, 6-7, 6-0, 6-2. They both went through their respective round-robins undefeated.  

What Will Happen in 2009? 

At the year-end championships, the eight top players will be divided into two teams of four. Starting on Tuesday and going through Friday, the two groups play in a round-robin format, meaning each participant meets each player once in their group. The matches are all best of three sets.

The two players that have the best performance out of each group go on to the final phase. This takes place on Saturday and Sunday. In the semifinals, the first-placed woman from one group meets with the second-placed woman from the other, with the winners advancing to the final. 

The doubles portion of the tournament is a straight win or lose affair. The winning team must move through the semifinals and finals with victories. There is no second chance in doubles. Teams qualifying: (1) Cara Black/Liezel Huber with 9100 points, (2) Serena Williams/Venus Williams with 6700 points, (3) Nuria Llagostera/Maria Martinez with 6396 points, and (4) Samantha Stosur/Rennae Stubbs with 5048 points.

Who Will Win This Year?

No. 1 Seed—Dinara Safina [55-15]

Dinara played well the first part of the year and her game excels on clay. On hard courts—nada! Dinara will not win the year-end championship and she will not be ranked No. 1 at the end of the season. You can take that to the bank.  

No. 2 Seed—Serena Williams [45-12]

Just like every other tournament she enters, the Sony Ericsson Year-End Championships could be Serena’s if she chooses. She needs, however, to be interested long enough to stay engaged on court.

One must wonder about the potential waste of such a great talent. Perhaps if she could blog or Twitter or pose on court, that would pique and sustain her attention. Even with that degree of reservation, Serena Williams might just win. She could end the season ranked No. 1 in spite of herself.

No. 3 Seed—Svetlana Kuznetsova [42-14]

What a thrill for Sveta to win the French Open this year. The only consistent thing about the talented Russian is her inconsistency. Like Serena, she has the talent and probably the resiliency for this format, but you just never know what game she will bring from day to day. I would not bet the farm on Kuznetsova winning this tournament.

No. 4 Seed —Caroline Wozniacki [65-21]

Her debut in Doha at the year-end championships will surely be a milestone of some importance in her young career. The event will be overwhelming, plus she enters the tournament with some niggling injuries that will not adjust well to the constant play required with this format.

Great experience for the future, but do not count on the beautiful, young, talented woman to win.

No. 5 Seed—Elena Dementieva [54-16]

You root for her and try to push her over the top, but Dementieva will not win a slam nor will she win this tournament—in spite of her ever improving serve and her determination.

She started out 2009 on a tear, winning in the early going before injuries stalled her progress. It is the big events—the slams—that seem inevitably to stop her dead in her tracks. It would be a great reward for her to win this championship, but the odds are that she will not find the right stuff.

No. 6 Seed—Victoria Azarenka [44-13]

Azarenka is a smart player with subtle tactics and the ability to move you around but without enough power to blow you off the court.

This is also her debut at the year-end championships and it will be enough for her to have made it into the final eight—although she will never give up trying to win. But she won’t this year. Give her a year or two to tighten her offense.

No. 7 Seed—Venus Williams [36-13]

Last year as the No. 7 seed, Venus won this tournament going undefeated and it set her off on a splendid road in 2009 as she won her first 14 of 15 matches and ended up ranked No. 3 for most of the year.

She has not fared well of late, but seems rested and hopefully injury-free for the moment. Venus has proven she can do anything and she might just pull off winning this championship again.

No. 8 Seed—Jelena Jankovic [47-16]

All year, we have wondered what happened to the Serb’s game. Something is largely missing—at least on offense. Her defensive skills are still first-rate, but she fails to capitalize on her serve and on her ability to move from defense to offense.

At one point, ranked No. 1 after Justine Henin left the game, Jankovic has failed to move forward. She is grateful to have made it into the top eight. Hopefully that will be enough to satisfy her because she will not win this tournament.

The victory chorus will be sung no doubt by one of the Williams sisters again—just as in any big event. It will be interesting to see if they win the doubles, too.  

2010 offers new adventures as Kim Clijsters hits her stride while Henin’s promised return beckons on the horizon. Maria Sharapova will find her service motion once again, and with all of these added factors, the women’s game seems primed for the year ahead.

The year-end championships in Doha are not bringing down the curtain—rather, the tournament serves to usher in a new beginning...