WTA Year-End Championships Begin in Doha

The Sony Ericsson Championships have begun in Doha, Qatar. The prestigious tournament is the last tournament of the year and one of the most lucrative. This year it will also determine who ends up the year as #1: Dinara Safina, who has lost in not one but two major finals this year (Australia and Roland Garros), or Serena Williams who won in two (Australia and Wimbledon).

Craig Hickman has the draw:

White Group
Dinara Safina
Caroline Wozniacki
Victoria Azarenka
Jelena Jankovic

Maroon Group
Serena Williams
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Elena Dementieva
Venus Williams

The year-end championships features an unusual format where the eight competitors are split into two groups, playing a round-robin tournament for the top two spots. Then the top two in each group play against the top two in the other group in an elimination semifinal round for the last match of the year.

Venus Williams won last year, beating her sister along the way. Today she plays Serena again.