Sony Ericsson WTA Tour stars Caroline Wozniacki and Elena Dementieva have qualified for the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships, set to take place for the second year in a row at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex in Doha, Qatar, from October 27 - November 1, 2009. Denmark's Wozniacki and Russia's Dementieva will join world No.1 Dinara Safina, world No.2 Serena Williams, and the world No.1 doubles team of Cara Black and Liezel Huber who have already qualified and will be headed to Doha.
The world's top eight singles players and top four doubles teams from the 2009 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season will compete for the coveted Sony Ericsson Championships title and a share of the record Championships prize money of $4.55 million.
"2009 has been a dream season for me, highlighted by reaching the US Open final - definitely one of the best moments in my tennis career so far," said Wozniacki. "I always believed that I could be one of the best players in the world, I just didn't think that it would happen so soon. I am very excited about qualifying for the Sony Ericsson Championships and can't wait to get to Doha and have an opportunity to play on one of the biggest stages in women's tennis."
"Qualifying for the Sony Ericsson Championships is a great accomplishment for me as it's a goal I set for myself at the beginning of every season," said Dementieva. "Heading to the Sony Ericsson Championships for the ninth time in my career is thrilling and I look forward to competing in what is always a great event."
"Caroline has been one of the brightest stars on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour over the last few years, a great talent that is bound to see tremendous success for many years to come. Elena has had a terrific season, winning three titles along the way and playing in one of the most memorable matches of the year," said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. "I would like to congratulate Caroline and Elena on qualifying for the Sony Ericsson Championships and look forward to seeing both of them compete in what promises to be a terrific finale to the 2009 season."
"We are very excited to see Caroline and Elena qualify for Sony Ericsson Championships," said Aldo Liguori, Corporate Vice President and Head of Global Communications & PR at Sony Ericsson. "Caroline is one of the brightest new stars on Tour with an exciting future and Elena is a terrific ambassador for women's tennis both on and off the court."
Wozniacki has enjoyed a stellar 2009 season, reaching eight finals, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the US Open (losing to Kim Clijsters), and winning three tournaments: MPS Group Championships (Ponte Vedra Beach), AEGON International (Eastbourne), and Pilot Pen Tennis presented by Schick (New Haven). In 2009, Wozniacki has won more matches than anyone else (62). The first Danish woman to win a title on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, Wozniacki turned professional at the age of 15 and broke into the top 100 in 2007 and Top 10 in 2009. The youngest player in the world Top 20, Wozniacki was voted Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Newcomer of the Year in 2008. At 19 years old, Wozniacki is the youngest player ranked in the Top 25 and will be making her Championships debut.
Dementieva has enjoyed a remarkable season that was begun by winning 15 consecutive matches, resulting in two back-to-back titles in Auckland and Sydney, followed by two semifinal appearances at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, where she lost both to eventual winner Serena Williams. Dementieva played one of the most memorable matches on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in 2009 when she was defeated by Serena Williams in the semifinals of Wimbledon (67(4) 75 86) in a marathon that lasted nearly three hours. Dementieva's successful hard court season was highlighted by winning the Rogers Cup in Toronto, reaching the semifinals at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford and the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati, thus allowing her to clinch the title of 2009 Olympus US Open Series winner. Dementieva's remarkable career goes back to 1998 when she turned professional at the age of 16, winning 14 titles along the way and reaching the finals of 2004 Roland Garros and US Open.
Sony Ericsson, one of the largest global mobile phone manufacturers known for style and innovation, is committed to bringing entertainment and glamour to tennis, and taking the sport to new places and new audiences. Sony Ericsson's style and technology has attracted a wider interest to women's tennis and provided unique opportunities to the stars of the Tour.
The Championships were first played in 1972 and since then the event has been held in such notable venues as Madison Square Garden, New York City; the Olympiahalle in Munich; Staples Center in Los Angeles; and the Recinto Ferial Casa de Campo in Madrid. Former singles champions include Tracy Austin, Clijsters, Chris Evert, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Martina Navratilova, Gabriela Sabatini, Serena Williams, Justine Henin and Venus Williams.
