Today’s Women’s News (10/22): WTA Championships

Written by: Staff on 22nd October 2012

Today's Women's News (10/22): WTA Championships

epa03424580 Maria Sharapova of Russia in action against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in their final match at the China Open in Beijing, China, 07 October 2012. EPA/HOW HWEE YOUNG |

Women’s Look Forward: Istanbul

It isn’t easy to find much to say about Istanbul. It’s too strong! The top eight women in the world, playing a round robin. What else is there to tell?

There are, to be sure, the groups. The Red Group is #1 Victoria Azarenka, #3 Serena Williams, #5 Angelique Kerber (making her first appearance here), and #8 Li Na. The White Group is #2 Maria Sharapova, #4 Agnieszka Radwanska, #6 Petra Kvitova (last year’s champion), and #7 Sara Errani (our other rookie, who also has the distinction of being the only player to qualify in singles and doubles). The Red Group, frankly, looks tougher, but there are no really obvious patsies in either group. Errani may be the weakest on this surface.

The event is big enough that we have contests for every ranking spot from #1 to #8 (or lower, if alternate Samantha Stosur comes into play) — but just barely. Azarenka’s lead on #1 Maria Sharapova is more than a thousand points, and Sharapova has 120 points in her sixteenth event. So the only way Sharapova can end the year at #1 and Azarenka ends up 1-2 or worse.

Sharapova is almost but not quite safe at #2; Serena Williams needs a title to overtake her, and Sharapova must go 1-2 or worse.

#4 Agnieszka Radwanska needs at least a title to overtake Serena, and once again, Serena has to go 1-2 (or 2-0 but bail out, or something like that).

Radwanska is sure to be #4 or higher; the gap from #4 to #5 is that big. But below that, things are wild; from #5 Kerber to #8 Li is only about 700 points. Even more noteworthy is the fact that Kerber and Kvitova are only about 250 points apart. Then we have a 350 point gap, and then Errani and Li just 60 points apart, and Li has the smaller sixteenth event score. That’s an effective tie; whichever one does better gets the #7 spot, and it could be higher if either can make the final. Kvitova probably needs two more wins than Kerber to move up, but it’s possible.

In the doubles, Errani/Vinci have clinched the year-end top spots; the contest is for the positions below that. And Hlavackova/Hradecka appear to be in a strong position to be #3 and #4.