Doha Player Welcome Ceremony

Tier I, Act I

The Qatar Total Open in Doha, Qatar, the first Tier I* tournament on the 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA tour, concluded Sunday with a victory by Maria Sharapova over her compatriot Vera Zvonareva. The win gave this year’s Australian Open champion her second title of the season and with it, she remains undefeated in 2008.

At the stopover in Doha, a handful of players had the chance to consolidate their status as rising stars on the tour.

Eighteen year-old Agnieska Radwanska, ranked No.19 in the world, eliminated World No. 2 and tournament favourite Ana Ivanovic in the second round before bowing out to Sharapova in the semifinals. Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, also 18 and ranked 38th, took out Patty Schnyder (9th) and Venus Williams (6th) in back-to-back wins and not to be outdone, at only 17 years if age, Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki showed Marion Bartoli the door in the second round. But Na Li of China, currently ranked 22nd in the world, caused the biggest upsets with her three consecutive wins over Anna Chakvetadze (5th), Shahar Peer (12th), and Jelena Jankovic (3rd).

Plagued by a virus, Sharapova, current World No. 5, was forced to pull out of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championship (Tier II) that got underway Monday in Dubai, in the Arab Emirates. The twenty-year-old explained that she was already suffering from the virus in Doha, losing much of her energy.

Sharapova’s absence therefore leaves the door wide open for World No. 1 and defending champion Justine Henin. If all goes according to plan, the Belgian champ should meet up with third-seeded Ivanovic, titleholder of the 2006 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank, in the semis. But Schiavone, Bondarenko, and Dementieva, who defeated Bartoli, Maria Kirilenko, and Patty Schnyder, in the opening round respectively, are also contenders, as is Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic.

Svetlana Kuznetsova (2nd), Jelena Jankovic (4th), and Anna Chakvetadze (6th) are all expected to dominate the bottom half of the draw but Amélie Mauresmo, Sania Mirza, and Dinara Safina could possibly stir up some trouble for them.

*Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Charleston, Berlin, Rome, Montréal, Tokyo, Moscow