Wozniacki first to qualify for Doha
Originally published on: 30/09/10 10:31
Now that the prestigious four Grand Slams are out of the way, points and prizes are hot on the agenda for the tour’s finest as the scrabble for a place in the WTA and ATP year-ending showpieces in Doha and London truly begins.
And while the world’s top two men – Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer – have already qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki became the first woman to assure her place in the Sony Ericsson Championships yesterday.
By virtue of her crushing 6-1 6-2 victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, the 20-year-old Dane became the first woman to qualify for Doha for the second straight year.
“It feels really good to qualify for the WTA Championships in Doha,” said Wozniacki after her win. “I’m really happy I’m in the top 8 and also I’ve qualified first, which is a special feeling.
“At the beginning of the year I was just hoping to qualify; it’s great to reach one of my goals this year.”
Wozniacki’s participation in Doha was never really in doubt, given that she has won four titles – in Ponte Vedra Beach, Copenhagen, Montreal and New Haven – after a sizzling spell on hard courts in 2009.
The Odense-born right-hander was joined by doubles pairing Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik – who were also champions in New Haven this year – after the pair followed Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta to become the second team to qualify for Doha on Wednesday.
“Caroline and the team of Kveta and Katarina have had terrific seasons, highlighted by a series of titles,” said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the WTA.
“Caroline’s 2010 accomplishments have brought her to a career-high ranking of No.2 and Kveta and Katarina are headed to Doha as a team for the first time in their careers.
“All three of these players are terrific ambassadors for the sport and I congratulate them on qualifying for the WTA Championships.”
With qualification assured, Wozniacki will hope to convert her hard court form in to another title in Tokyo, with close friend Agnieszka Radwanska standing in the way of her first appearance in the last four at the tournament.
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