Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka secure Doha berths

The sixth and seventh slots for the Sony Ericsson Championships, which will take place in Qatar later this month, have been secured by world number three Venus Williams and world number eight Victoria Azarenka after their spectacular performances and results for this season.

The two players will join Serena Williams, Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Caroline Wozniacki who already qualified for the elite eight singles field for this prestigious season-ending tournament.
Venus Williams qualified after winning two titles this season, in Dubai and Acapulco, and reaching the finals at Stanford and Wimbledon. She also qualified for the year-end championships doubles event with younger sister Serena Williams after winning three Grand Slam doubles titles this season (Australian Open, US Open and Wimbledon).

“Qualifying for the year-end tournament is always a goal I set for myself at the beginning of the season and I am excited to have an opportunity yet again to compete with the best players in the world,” Williams was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Azarenka clinched three titles this season (Brisbane, Memphis and Miami). She cracked the world’s top ten after winning the Miami title. She also achieved her first two career Grand Slam quarterfinal finishes this season (Wimbledon and Roland Garros).