Zvonareva has 3-0 record; Ivanovic, Serena pull out, replaced by Radwanska and Petrova

The round robin at the year ending Championships in Doha came to a close on after the matches on Friday were completed, as the some players were already in the semis, having a 2-0 lead.

Vera Zvonareva was up first, as she was going for a 3-0 record and a $100,000 bonus for winning all of her matches, and she beat top seed Jelena Jankovic in three sets, 26 63 64.

"I was playing very well in the first set, but then I completely let my opponent play her game," Jankovic said. "I didn't serve very well and I didn't return very well, and Vera can rally all day long without making many mistakes. If you get involved in her game, you're done, and that's what I did today. I let her come back into the match."

"It feels great, of course," said Zvonareva, who only secured her berth at Doha two weeks ago, but has undoubtedly been one of the form players of the week. "I worked hard to get into these Championships, and I'm really happy to be here and to play against the eight best players in the world. And it's great that I was able to come up with some good tennis."

Elena Dementieva was featured in the second match of the day, winning to Nadia Petrova, a fill-in for Serena Williams, in three sets, 64 46 64, and she has now a record of 2-1 in Doha.

"I expected a very tough match today against Serena, because it was an exciting match for both of us and I was ready to play her," Dementieva said. "I just feel sorry for her that she's injured and couldn't come on the court. I mean, it's not the way I wanted to get to the semifinals. I know how it feels to be injured."

"For me, emotionally, it was difficult to refocus and play against Nadia, knowing already that I was in the semifinals," she added. "But I didn't want to lose the momentum. I mean, Nadia's a Top 10 player. I think she came on the court very relaxed, enjoying the moment, enjoying the chance to play in the Championships. So it was a tough match."

The last matche of the day involved an alternative, as Agnieszka Radwanska was playing for Ana Ivanovic, who pulled out with a virus, and won to Svetlana Kuznetsova, 62 75.


Friday, November 7, 2008

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