Vera Zvonareva and Samantha Stosur have occupied the sixth and seventh spot in the draw of the $4,900,000 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships, which means that only one more player can qualifier for the singles competition and that will be either Agnieszka Radwanska or Marion Bartoli.

In order for Bartoli to qualify, she would need to win both Osaka and Moscow and Radwanska would have to lose before the quarterfinals of Moscow. The player who doesn’t take the eighth spot will join Andrea Petkovic as an alternate.

This will be Zvonareva’s fifth time to play the elite year-end Championships, while Stosur played last year for the first time.

Besides the two new additions to the draw, Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka and Li Na had already qualified.

For the past three years the prestigious event was held in Doha, and this year it will take place in Istanbul for the first time. The 2010 champion was Kim Clijsters, whose injuries have prevented her for playing since August. (photos: sr_cranks)

Just a week after eliminating the newly-crowned US Open champion Samantha Stosur in the second round of the Premier-level tournament in Tokyo, Maria Kirilenko repeated the feat by ousting the Australian from another high-profile event – the China Open in Beijing – also in the second round. However, in Tokyo it was Stosur's opener, while in Beijing she scored a 6-4 6-0 victory over Tsvetana Pironkova in her first match.

The unseeded Kirilenko advanced to the third round with a 7-5 1-6 7-5 victory over Stosur, after recollecting herself from a second set slump and a loss of six straight games. Next for Kirilenko is Tamira Paszek, who upset seed No.10 Jelena Jankovic in the first round.

Not even one 2011 Grand Slam champion is left in the China Open draw, even though it's still only the beginning of the tournament. French Open winner Li Na went out in the first round to Monica Niculescu 6-4 6-0, Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova lost her opener to Sofia Arvisson 7-6(6) 4-6 6-3, while Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters hasn't even been playing since August. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)

To further celebrate Samantha Stosur's first major title, Australia Post created a souvenir stamp sheet with images of the Australian holding her US Open trophy.

I'm really excited Australia Post has decided to release a souvenir stamp sheet to celebrate my US Open win. The past couple of weeks have been very exciting and I'm still coming to terms with the idea of being a Grand Slam winner. This is something I'll remember forever.

The limited-edition stamp sheet can be bought for $15.95 until stocks last.

Reminder: Remember the golden days of Serbian women's tennis, when Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic had their images on stamps? (source: Samantha Stosur's official website)

Samantha Stosur and Maria Kirilenko met in the fourth round of the US Open this month and played one of the most exciting matches of the tournament featuring the longest tiebreak in Grand Slam history. Then the winner was Stosur with a 6-2 6-7(15) 6-3 score and afterwards the Australian defeated Vera Zvonareva, Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams to claim her first major title.

In today's match at the $2,050,000 Toray Pan Pacific Open Kirilenko found revenge and defeated the sixth-seeded Stosur in what was another close encounter, 6-2 4-6 6-4. The 27th-ranked Kirilenko moved to the third round where she will face Ana Ivanovic, even though Stosur came back from a break down to win the second set and from a 4-2 deficit to 4-4 in the third set. (source: WTA Tour, photo: © Neal Trousdale)

(click on the image above to watch the video)

By winning the 2011 US Open title, Samantha Stosur achieved a great thing for her career and for her home country of Australia, which is now giving back to its champion. The 27-year-old received a homecoming celebration in Gold Cost, her city of residence, and was handed keys to the city as a special honor.

Stosur used the opportunity to confirm participation at her home tournament of Brisbane International in January 2012, where she hopes to bring her US Open form. Then she will head to a quest for the Australian Open trophy.

It is a very exciting time for me and it is great to be able to come home and share what has been a huge achievement with my family and friends in Queensland. I don't get the chance to get home often so to have this time is very special.