Doha, Qatar
$4,550,000 (SEC)
Hard / Outdoors
November 4-9, 2008

Results – Sunday, November 9, 2008

Singles – Final
(7) Venus Williams (USA) d. (8) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 67(5) 60 62 (2:10)

Doubles – Final
(1) Black/Huber (ZIM/USA) d. (3) Peschke/Stubbs (CZE/AUS) 61 75 (1:18)

A final copy of the main draw is available at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour website.

For more information about the Sony Ericsson Championships, please visit www.sonyericsson-championships.com.

The 2008 Wimbledon champion defeated Vera Zvonareva in the final match of the year in Doha, Qatar.

Williams won her first Sony Ericsson Championships title in three sets 6-7(5), 6-0, 6-2. She is the first American to win the title since her sister Serena took the title in 2001.

“It’s a fantastic feeling to end the season this way,” Williams said after winning her 39th career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title and third of 2008, having previously won Wimbledon and Zurich.

Williams went undefeated throughout the week, defeating the world’s Top 3 en route to the title, No.1 Jankovic in SF and No.2 Safina and No.3 S.Williams in earlier round robin play (she also defeated No.5 Dementieva in the round robin portion).

“I haven’t had the opportunity to play this tournament very often, so it’s really awesome to have the opportunity to play here and play well, too. I haven’t thought too much about next year yet, but I have high and wonderful hopes for it, and at the appropriate time I’ll start working hard again.”

Vera Zvonareva was appearing in her biggest-ever singles final, having gone undefeated coming into the final (as did Williams), defeating world No.4 Ivanovic, No.7 Svetlana Kuznetsova and No.1 Jelena Jankovic (second career win over a reigning No.1) in round robin play and No.5 Dementieva in SF, marking the first time in her career to defeat three Top 5 players in the same event.

“It’s the first time I’ve got the chance to play against Top 10 players five matches in a row,” Zvonareva said. “And I was able to come up with four wins. So, of course, it’s a good week. I think I could have done a bit better today, played a little bit better tennis. But, overall, I’m going to try to analyze and try to be better next time.”

By winning $1,340,000 (having gone undefeated this week), Williams jumps from 5th to 2nd on the all-time money list with US$21,921,346, behind only Lindsay Davenport ($22,144,735).

The number one doubles team in the world ended their 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season on a high note Sunday.

Cara Black and Liezel Huber won their tenth doubles title of the year at the season-ending championships in Doha, Qatar.

For the Zimbabwean/American duo, this was the perfect ending after an incredible season.

The pair, who had already secured the number one ranking weeks before arriving in Doha, won the Sony Ericsson Championships Doha 2008 after beating Kveta Peschke and Rennae Stubbs 6-1, 7-5 at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex. They were awarded a winner’s check of $375,000 dollars.

“It feels unbelievable,” Black said. “We really put it all on the line, so we were really happy with our outcome.”

Contesting their 12th final of 2008, Cara Black and Liezel Huber successfully defend the doubles title they won in Madrid in 2007; it is their 10th doubles title of 2008 and 22nd overall as a team.

“We enjoy playing with each other,” Huber said. “When you’re good at something, I think you enjoy it even more. We just really enjoy playing with each other.”

Black and Huber will finish 2008 co-ranked No.1 on the WTA Tour rankings. They achieved the same feat in 2007, when they became only the second team since the inception of computer doubles rankings in 1984 to end a season in that joint position (after Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur in 2006).

Doha, Qatar
$4,550,000 (SEC)
Hard / Outdoors
November 4-9, 2008

Results - Saturday, November 8, 2008

Singles - Semifinals
(7) Venus Williams (USA) d. (1) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 62 26 63
(8) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d. (5) Elena Dementieva (RUS) 76(7) 36 63

Doubles - Semifinals
(1) Black/Huber (ZIM/USA) d. (4) Medina Garrigues/Ruano Pascual (ESP/ESP) 61 63
(3) Peschke/Stubbs (CZE/AUS) d. (2) Srebotnik/Sugiyama (SLO/JPN) 63 26 104

Order of Play - Sunday, November 9, 2008

Khalifa Tennis Complex (from 15.00hrs)
1. Doubles Final: Black/Huber vs. Peschke/Stubbs
2. Singles Final: Zvonareva vs. V.Williams (NB 17.30hrs)

An updated copy of the main draw is available at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour website.

For more information about the Sony Ericsson Championships, please visit www.sonyericsson-championships.com.

For more information about the contest and its prizes or to leave your pick, please go here.

This year’s Wimbledon champion and former world number one Venus Williams has reached the final at the Sony Ericsson Championships.

Williams will face Russia’s Vera Zvonareva in the last match of the 2008 tennis season.

Venus defeated current number one Jelena Jankovic in a thrilling match on Saturday night 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, and earned a spot in the final of the Sony Ericsson Championships Doha 2008. Vera Zvonareva defeated her countrywoman Elena Dementieva 7-6(7), 3-6, 6-3 in the semifinals.

Both Venus and Vera will play for their first Sony Ericsson Championships title, and for a record winner’s check of $1,340,000. The runner-up will take home $715,000. Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned will present the winner’s trophy.

Sunday will also feature the doubles final between top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber, who beat French Open Champions Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-1, 6-3, and Kveta Peschke and Rennae Stubbs, who defeated second seeds Katerina Srebotnik and Ai Sugiyama 6-3, 2-6, 10-4.

Aaress’ Picks
Singles Final: Venus Williams
Doubles Final: Cara Black and Liezel Huber

More Doha Information:

Sunday’s Start Time and Match Order of Play

Sony Ericsson Championships Main Draw

Television Listings for ESPN2 and Tennis Channel

Doha, Qatar
$4,550,000 (SEC)
Hard / Outdoors
November 4-9, 2008

Results - Friday, November 7, 2008

Singles Round Robin
White Group
(8) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d. (1) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 26 63 64
(Alt) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)* d. (6) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 62 75

Maroon Group
(5) Elena Dementieva (RUS) d. (Alt) Nadia Petrova (RUS)** 64 46 64

* First Alternate Radwanska replaced Ivanovic (viral illness) for her final round robin match
** Second Alternate Petrova replaced S.Williams (stomach muscle injury) for her final round robin match

Order of Play - Saturday, November 8, 2008

From 13.00hrs
1. Peschke/Stubbs vs. Srebotnik/Sugiyama
2. Black/Huber vs. Medina Garrigues/Ruano Pascual
3. Zvonareva vs. Dementieva (NB 17.30hrs)
4. Jankovic vs. V.Williams

An updated copy of the main draw is available at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour website.

For more information about the Sony Ericsson Championships, please visit www.sonyericsson-championships.com.

For more information about the contest and its prizes or to leave your pick, please go here.

This year’s US Open champion Serena Williams also pulled out of the tournament with a stomach muscle injury.

Ivanovic was scheduled to play a dead rubber against Svetlana Kuznetsova in the last match of the day. Williams was expected to play Elena Dementieva for the second semifinal berth in the Maroon Group.

Ivanovic’s place in the round robin draw will be filled by first alternate Agnieszka Radwanska, while Dementieva will face second alternate Nadia Petrova.

Because of Serena Williams’ withdrawal, Elena Dementieva will advance to the semifinal round.

The final day of round robin play at the 2008 Sony Ericsson Championships will feature a fight to the finish by six players in Doha.

Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva are competing for the second semifinal berth in the Maroon Group, and Jelena Jankovic and Vera Zvonareva are vying for the top seeded position in the White Group.

Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivanovic are scheduled to contest their last match of the year before making an early exit from Qatar.

Jelena Jankovic vs. Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva did not retire or take a prolonged absence, but she almost seems worthy of the WTA Tour’s Comeback Player of the Year award. After an absence of four years, Zvonareva is back competing with the best players in the world.

Beating Jankovic will be a tall order for the Russian, as the No. 1 continues to look solid. Jankovic was bothered by a back strain during her match on Thursday against Kuznetsova, but she still managed to shut things down in two sets.

Jelena Jankovic in 2 sets

Serena Williams vs. Elena Dementieva
This will be the must-see match on Friday. Serena Williams looked awful on Thursday against Venus and twice was reduced to tears. It’s not often that a Williams performance resembles a train wreck, but this one certainly did—especially that bagel set. But tomorrow is always a new day, and one of two things will likely happen on Friday.

Option A - Elena was in the locker room, so she possibly saw some of the disaster on Friday. If that did not inspire her and boost her confidence, nothing will do it. She needs to come out on Friday with reckless abandonment, go for her shots, and be the aggressor from the first point. If Dementieva can get inside Serena’s head and make her think this is Thursday’s sequel, she will win.

Option B - Serena Williams will wipe away her tears, go for a long Rocky-like run in the sand, talk to Venus (who did beat Elena in two sets earlier in the week), and recapture a good dose of that legendary confidence. Remember one of the last times Serena was beaten this badly? It was at the hands of Sybille Bammer in Hobart. Three weeks later, she hoisted her eighth Grand Slam trophy in Melbourne.

Serena Williams in 3 sets

Ana Ivanovic vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova
Dead rubbers are generally not important, but this one is all about saving face and ending the year on a somewhat decent note. It’s not often that two former Grand Slam champions compete to avoid going 0-3 in a round robin, yet this is precisely the predicament facing Ivanovic and Kuznetsova.

Both women struggled during much of the second half of 2008, but fortunately after Friday they will have seven weeks to get back in shape. Given Ivanovic’s health (she is suffering from a viral illness), I’m picking Kuznetsova to win her final match of the year.

Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2 sets

More Doha Information:

Friday’s Start Time and Match Order of Play

Sony Ericsson Championships Main Draw

Television Listings for ESPN2 and Tennis Channel