The 2011 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships in Istanbul start tomorrow, not affected by the devastating earthquake that killed around 270 people in Turkey. Players and the Tour expressed their condolences, but their job is calling them to focus on the big task ahead.

Since only the most successful eight players of the season are in the competition, it is not entirely reasonable to talk about the toughness of the draw, but we can always speculate: is the world No.1 the favorite, or the most-established players, or the late season bloomers, or someone else? Let’s analyze the two round-robin groups.

RED GROUP: Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova, Vera Zvonareva, Agnieszka Radwanska

The tournament will start with the clash between Kvitova and Zvonareva. Kvitova is making her debut at the WTA Championships, but at this year’s Wimbledon she showed she doesn’t shy away at grand stages. Also, the Czech is fresh off a WTA title in Linz.

Another first-time qualifier, Agnieszka Radwanska, is also in action on the first day, against world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki. Radwanska is the hottest player this fall, having won 11 of her last 12 matches, including Premier-level titles in Tokyo and Beijing. Zvonareva was runner-up in Tokyo, while Wozniacki had the worst results of the group this fall, losing in the third round of Tokyo and the quarterfinals of Beijing.

To give you a deeper insight into the mutual relationships of the players, here are their head-to-head statistics, with this year's records in brackets. Read more »

It was not meant to be that we get two first-time WTA titlists this weekend – Dominika Cibulkova did it, Monica Niculescu did not, and instead world No.3 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus comfortably won her eighth career title and third this year, after Miami and Marbella.

The top-seeded Azarenka had a straightforward 6-2 6-2 victory over Niculescu in final of the BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open, but she had strategy prepared for the Romanian:

Monica has a unique game, a really different style. You really have to dig deep and be patient against her, but you also have to be aggressive. If you stand there and just dig the balls back, she can beat you. So I just tried to stay aggressive and fight for every point and I'm happy how it turned out.

Read more »

Last week’s Linz final kept Dominika Cibulkova’s five-year long career in the main draws of WTA tournaments dry of WTA titles after three finals, but just a week later the Slovakian changed that at the Premier-level Kremlin Cup. In her last three matches of the tournament, the world No.20 Cibulkova defeated players against whom she had negative head-to-head records – top seed Vera Zvonareva, Elena Vesnina and Kaia Kanepi. Now only Peng Shuai is a Top 20 player without a title to her name.

This is the best feeling I've ever had. It's the best day for me.

As seed No.8 Cibulkova was favorite on paper, but her opponent entered the final with a 2-0 record against her and with victories over two Grand Slam champions in the earlier matches – over Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Also, the 43rd-ranked Kanepi might have had less pressure, having added a title to her biography (last year in Palermo).

Kanepi was in charge at the start, winning the first set 6-3. The Estonian kept her serve throughout the second set and even had the victory at her grasp, but a bit of luck helped Cibulkova force a tiebreak, which she won 7-1. A string of breaks followed from 3-3 in the third set, and the 22-year-old Cibulkova was the first to hold her serve to win the match 3-6 7-6(1) 7-5 and $118,500 after two hours and 36 minutes. (photo via Kremlin Cup)

On October 16th in the final of the Generali Ladies Linz Dominika Cibulkova was playing for her maiden WTA title and lost to Petra Kvitova. Only a week has pasted and the 22-year-old is in another final, at the Premier Kremlin Cup and her opponent will be Estonian Kaia Kanepi.

Cibulkova and Peng Shuai are the only member of the Top 20 without titles, but the little Slovakian is positive about changing her discouraging  0-3 record in career finals:

I know I've lost all three of my previous finals including the one last week, but I feel if I continue playing the way I do now sooner or later I'll win one.

The world No.20 Cibulkova cruised past her semifinal opponent Elena Vesnina 6-0 6-2, a day after ousting top-seeded home favorite Vera Zvonareva 4-6 6-4 6-4. Kanepi upset two Grand Slam champions, Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova, before coming from a set down to topple Lucie Safarova 6-7(4) 6-4 6-3 in the semifinals.

Cibulkova and Kanepi played each other twice so far, including once this year, and Kanepi won in three sets both times. Also, the 43rd-ranked Kanepi, who used to be ranked 16th earlier this year, has one title to her name – Palermo 2010. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)

Marion Bartoli needed three things to take the last spot in the season-ending WTA Championships: to win Osaka – check!, to have Agnieszka Radwanska lose before the quarterfinals in Moscow – check!, to win the Moscow title – well, it would have been too good to be true. Bartoli withdrew from her quarterfinal against Elena Vesnina citing viral infection, insuring Radwanska's qualification for Istanbul. Read more »

In her latest blog entry Kim Clijsters reveals that her injury recovery process is progressing well, she's practicing three or four times a week, preparing for the Antwerp Diamond Games exhibition on December 8 and the 2012 season which the Belgian will open with the Brisbane International which starts on January 2.

Clijsters is working hard with her new coach Carl Maes and new sparring partner Stefan Wauters, and the regime is going to include even more tennis hours. At the same time, her injuries of right foot and stomach muscles are responding well to recovery exercises.

While in Belgium, Clijsters is spending time home with her family, husband Bryan and daughter Jada, trying new recipes in the kitchen, which are optimized for her best tennis results. (via Beyond the Baseline, photo: © Neal Trousdale)

In an interview before the BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open, the tournament where Ana Ivanovic reached the second round with a 7-6(2) 6-4 win over Virginie Razzano, but lost her following match to Anne Keothavong 6-3 6-2, the 23-year-old said that she was still troubled by the back injury which started bothering her in Beijing, but she would not skip the tournaments finishing the season, including the Tournament of Champions in Bali where she’s a wildcard entry and defending champion.

In the mentioned interview Ivanovic stated she would continue to play despite the inflammation in her back, which had probably been present for some time but became evident during the China Open. The Serb said she would exercise caution with the injury and we can assume she didn't change her mind about traveling to Bali after today's loss to the 93rd-ranked Keothavong.

Britain's Keothavong recorded her biggest victory in terms of opponent's ranking by beating the former world No.1 Ivanovic, currently world No.23. The peculiarity of their encounter, their first career meeting, was also that Ivanovic's new coach, Nigel Sears, used to coach Keothavong. The Brit was open about the situation:

It felt a little weird too seeing someone who has helped me so much with my tennis over the years sitting in the opposition's box.

Sears was also discussed in the mentioned interview. Ivanovic has been satisfied with their collaboration, and they are working on improving her game with more structure and consistence. Her goal in 2012 will be to get back to Top 10 and win another Grand Slam. (via Beyond the Baseline, photo: © Neal Trousdale)

Svetlana Kuznetsova usually looks awkward in gowns, as if someone forced her to glam up for a player party, but photographer Chris Kolk made her look comfortable all dressed up. Flying with a tennis racquet in an elegant dress is what Kuznetsova seems to enjoy, at least I can conclude that from this New York photo shoot.

The second photo is not such an outstanding example, but hey, we’ve had our great move forward.

Kuznetsova, seeded sixth at her home tournament of the Kremlin Cup, is currently playing her second round match against Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova. (photos via froggysveta)

World No.8 Agnieszka Radwanska is the hot player of this period, sort of a late-season bloomer, having won two big tournaments of Tokyo and Beijing in back-to-back weeks of the end of September and beginning of October. In her third successive event, the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, the Pole lost in the second round to Lucie Safarova 6-4 4-6 6-4 and opened the door for Bartoli to take the last spot in the draw of the WTA Championships in Istanbul. All Radwanska can do now is sit and wait, while the victory over Safarova would have made her a certain qualifier.

The 27th-ranked Lucie Safarova is a talented player with great prospects, but her inconsistency prevents her from becoming an always-present big name in tennis. On her second match point Safarova earned her fourth victory over Radwanska in their five meetings.  Read more »

The tennis season is over for Jelena Jankovic as she lost to world No.175 Ekaterina Ivanova in the first round of the Premier-level Kremlin Cup in Moscow, the tournament she won in her golden 2008.

There are only two tournaments left this season, for both of which players qualify by their season results, and the 13th-ranked Jankovic will play neither of them, finishing the year without WTA titles. Last year Jankovic qualified for the WTA Championships, but lost all three of her matches.

The 6-4 1-6 6-4 victory over Jankovic in the first round of Moscow is qualifier Ivanova's first Top 50 victory and only her second win in a WTA main draw this year. The 23-year-old will next play the winner of the Alla Kudryavtseva vs. Elena Vesnina encounter. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)