Dinara Safina handed a match to Jelena Jankovic, pulling out from the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha when serving at 1-1 in the first set. The reason for the Russian’s withdrawal is a back injury, which is likely to prevent her from playing the start of the next season, including the 2010 Australian Open.

Safina said the bone structure in her lower back is "starting to fracture", and that she has had the injury for three months. Today, she couldn't handle the pain.

Jankovic lost her first round-robin match to Victoria Azarenka, so this present from Safina must have been welcome.

Safina regained the top-ranking on Monday, but she will again hand it to Serena Williams, who will finish a season at No.1 for the second time in her career.

Earlier in the day, Caroline Wozniacki beat Victoria Azarenka 1-6 6-4 7-5, recovering from a first set blowout and saving a match point in the third set. Azarenka was leading by a break four times in the decider, but Wozniacki fought back each time. It was Wozniacki's first match at the Sony Ericsson Championships ever. (photo via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

The first match of the Sony Ericsson Championships was between Victoria Azarenka and Jelena Jankovic. The Belorussian debutant at the Championships triumphed in straight sets 6-2 6-3, making 15 unforced errors compared to Jankovic’s 33.

The second match of the day featured defending champion Venus Williams and Elena Dementieva. Williams entered the encounter with an impressive 9-2 record against Dementieva, including six straight wins over the Russian. The American built a 6-2 3-1 lead in the match at the season-ending Championships, and looked to be extending her streak, when Dementieva fought back to eventually take a 3-6 7-6(6) 6-2 victory.

The first day of the round robin stage at the Sony Ericsson Championships was closed with Serena Williams’ tight win over Svetlana Kuznetsova, 7-6(6) 7-5. Williams came back from behind multiple times to have her revenge for the quarterfinal loss to Kuznetsova at the 2009 French Open. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)

Vera Zvonareva lost to Tsvetana Pironkova 6-0 6-2 in the second round of the Kremlin Cup, which automatically qualified Jelana Jankovic for the Sony Ericsson Championships.

Jankovic is now five points ahead of Zvonareva in the race to the Sony Ericsson Championships and will be among the elite eight players of the season competing in the singles competition in Doha. The Serb has joined Dinara Safina, Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka.

Russian Zvonareva, top seed at the Kremlin Cup, lost to Bulgarian qualifier Pironkova who secured only her fourth win on tour this season and her first since April. Still, Zvonareva is not disappointed about the outcome: "Maybe I'm even happy. Finally I will have time to restore my health and start the new season in full strength."

Defending Kremlin Cup champion Jankovic, who has now qualified for the season-ending Championships for the third time in her career, followed up her guaranteed qualification by beating Lucie Safarova 7-6(5) 6-3 in the second round in Moscow.

Zvonareva and Agnieszka Radwanska will be alternates for the Sony Ericsson Championships. They both had their chance to earn that last Doha berth at the Kremlin Cup, but Jankovic prevailed. (source: BBC, photo: Ralf Reinecke)

World No.10 Agnieszka Radwanska lost her chance to take the final qualifying spot for the prestigious Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, losing to 61st-ranked Maria Kirilenko 6-3 6-3 in the first round of the Kremlin Cup.

Radwanska’s defeat means that Jelena Jankovic and Vera Zvonareva will fight it out for the eighth spot at the season-ending Championships. Still, Radwanska will be an alternate for Doha, along with the loser of the qualifying battle between Jankovic and Zvonareva.

World No.12 Flavia Pennetta had a shot at being an alternate at the Sony Ericsson Championships, but she retired from her first-round match at the Kremlin Cup and her chance has thus been removed. The Italian won the opening set against Agnes Szavay 6-4, but after losing the first three games of the following set she retired with a left knee injury. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)

Three players are in the battle to take the last qualifying spot of the 2009 Sony Ericsson Championships – Jelena Jankovic, Vera Zvonareva and Agnieszka Radwanska – and which one of them will qualify will be determined during this week’s Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

World No.7 Vera Zvonareva and world No.9 Jelena Jankovic are the Top 2 seeds at the Kremlin Cup and the main contenders for the last berth at the season-ending Championships. Here's how things are standing:

1) if they both lose prior to the quarterfinals, Jankovic will be the one to qualify for Doha;
2) if they both reach the quarterfinals, whoever does better from then on will have more points for Doha;
3) if they both lose in the same round from the quarterfinals and on, Zvonareva will have more points for Doha.

The first condition for world No.10 Agnieszka Radwanska to qualify for the Sony Ericsson Championships is to win the Kremlin Cup, and the second condition is that neither Zvonareva nor Jankovic reach the final.

Players that have already qualified include: Dinara Safina, Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka. (source: Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, photos: Ralf Reinecke, Stephane Martinache)