Zvonareva joins Wozniacki at WTA Tour Championships
Vera Zvonareva has become the second player to qualify for the season ending WTA Tour Championships, joining world No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki in the Doha draw.
It’s the third straight year the Russian No. 1 will play in the tournament, with her best finish coming in 2008 when she was runner-up to Venus Williams.
Failing to qualify in the top-eight last year, Zvonareva entered the draw as a substitute for Dinara Safina after the latter withdrew from her opening round robin match with a back injury. Zvonareva lasted just one match, a three-set loss to Wozniacki, before she too retired from the tournament as a result of injury.
Zvonareva also played at the season ending event in 2004, where she was defeated in straight sets in each of her three round robin matches.
The world No. 4 will now return in 2010 in the best form of her career, having reached a Grand Slam singles final for the first time at Wimbledon (lost to Serena Williams) and backing that up by reaching the decider at the US Open (lost to Kim Clijsters).
Those two performances have played no small part in Zvonareva accumulating enough ranking points in the Race to Doha to secure her place at the tournament, and should hold the 26-year-old in good stead as she attempts to improve on her 2008 WTA Tour Championship result.
Two doubles teams have also qualified to play at the tournament, with Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik joining the pairing of Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta in the draw so far.
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