The 2006 US Open Champion was supposed to go pretty far in this tournament after fully coming back from her shoulder surgery and receiving the No. 3 seed.

But Italian Flavia Pennetta had something else to say about that with a 6-3 3-6 6-4 win over the Russian by the way of Florida in the third round of the US Open.

“I made way too many unforced errors,” she said.  “I fought back to get myself back in the match in the third set.  I think the first three, four games on every game I had a chance to win that game, whether it was a breakpoint or it was a game point on my serve, and I didn’t win those games.

“When you’re done 1‑4 and you get yourself back in a position where can you win again and start making errors, it’s just too inconsistent to win the match against her.”

Sharapova committed 60 unforced errors with 29 coming in the first set and 12 double faults in the match compared to only 35 self inflicted wounds by her Italian counterpart and only six giveaways.

She said she didn’t “feel comfortable” all game and just couldn’t get on track.

And when she got it in the third Sharapova couldn’t sustain her undefeated 2011 in third set. And even with that kind of confidence, it didn’t matter.

“I never think I’m going to lose the match, no matter if I’m 1‑4 or 0‑5,” she said. “I don’t have that mentality that I’m going to lose no matter how bad or how good I’m playing.  You can’t have that mentality.”

And thus another disappointing Open for the Russian. Even though she went to the Finals at Wimbledon, the 24 year-old leaves Flushing before Labor Day with the hopes of maybe a better Asian season this fall.

“I’m not really looking forward to a 14‑hour flight in a couple of weeks,” she said dryly.  “Yeah, the year is not over.  We’ve still got ‑‑ I think I still have three tournaments to go or so.

“Yeah, once they come then it will be time to play again and raise my level.  Until then, I just have to, you know, keep working in order for me to go out in the match and raise it.”

The duo won seven titles last year but this was their first Grand Slam crown.

“Last year was a great year, this year we are starting really good,” said Pennetta, who lost in single’s in the fourth round to Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova.

The win means Dulko will remain the No. 1 Women’s Doubles player in the world with Pennetta staying at No. 2.

Results – Monday, October 11, 2010
Singles – Final
(1) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. (2) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 63 36 63

Doubles – Final (played Saturday)
Chuang/Govortsova (TPE/BLR) d. (1) Dulko/Pennetta (ARG/ITA) 76(2) 16 107 (Match TB)

Final Facts
- Wozniacki wins a Tour-leading sixth singles title of the season, and the 12th of her career, having won the 11th at Tokyo just last week. She is now 12-7 in Tour singles finals.
- Before this Asian swing, the 20-year-old Dane had never won a match at either the China Open or the Toray Pan Pacific Open. Including Montréal (August) she now has three Premier-level titles on her record.
- Wozniacki has won a Tour-leading 59 singles matches this year. Zvonareva has registered 46 match wins (third best).
- By reaching the quarterfinals at Beijing, Wozniacki ensured her rise to No.1 in the rankings the week beginning Monday, October 11. Replacing the injured Serena Williams, Wozniacki is the 20th woman to hold the top spot since the inception of computer rankings in 1975.
- Zvonareva is now 10-16 in Tour singles finals, but rises to a new-career-high ranking of No.3 this week.
- Chuang Chia-Jung and Olga Govortsova win their first Tour doubles title together, having never previously been past the quarterfinals in a partnership that began earlier this year. Their victims en route included three of the four teams that have qualified for the season-ending WTA Championships: No.2 seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik; No.4 seeds Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova; and No.1 seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta.
- Chuang now has 15 doubles titles to her name; Govortsova owns four.

Final Quotes
Caroline Wozniacki, 2010 China Open singles champion:
“I thought I played a really, really good match. Vera was playing really well too. Everything is working for me at the moment. I’ve got to believe I can beat anyone. I feel in great shape and I’m looking forward to Doha.”

Vera Zvonareva, 2010 China Open singles runner-up:
“Rankings don’t matter too much to me, because I knew if I play well I’ll win matches and the ranking will come. If I go on court and think about everything but my game, I won’t be able to win any match and my ranking wouldn’t be there. I just think about what I have to do on the court to win.”

Chuang Chia-Jung, 2010 China Open doubles champion:
“Because it’s in China it’s very special for me. Olga and I have played together about half a year now and this was our best week together. We played aggressively and that was the key today.”

Olga Govortsova, 2010 China Open doubles champion:
“Almost all of our matches this week went to a tie-break, and when we get there we play so focused. CJ was hitting great volleys and I was hitting hard from the baseline. Gisela and Flavia are so good, we’re really happy. I’ve been to Beijing nine or 10 times now. I can’t wait to come back again.”

Caroline Wozniacki, Vera Zvonareva, Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Samantha Stosur and Francesca Schiavone are headed to Doha for the singles competition.  The world’s top eight singles players and top four doubles teams will compete for the coveted WTA Championships title and a share of the $4.5 million in prize money.

“I congratulate Lisa and Rennae and Vania and Yaroslava on qualifying for the WTA Championships. Lisa and Rennae first teamed up 15 years ago and it’s truly remarkable that they are still one of the best doubles teams in the world.  Vania and Yaroslava have found success immediately after partnering earlier this spring and after two back-to-back Grand Slam doubles titles, a trip to the WTA Championships is a perfect way to end the season,” said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the WTA.

Lisa Raymond/Rennae Stubbs:

After first coming together 15 years ago, Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs have won 33 titles, third in WTA history (Navratilova/Shriver–70, Fernandez/Zvereva–38). Raymond/Stubbs’ most recent title together came at the AEGON International (Eastbourne).  Additionally, the team reached the final at the Mercury Insurance Open (San Diego, l. to Kirilenko/Zheng) and the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open (Cincinnati, l. to Azarenka/Kirilenko).  Raymond/Stubbs also reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the US Open. As a team, Raymond/Stubbs have qualified for the year-end WTA Championships six times and won the title together in 2001.  Raymond also captured the Championships title in 2005 and 2006 with Samantha Stosur, and will play at the Championships for the 11^th time.  Stubbs is headed to the Championships for the 15^th time, having first qualified in 1992.  In addition to winning in 2001, she was a finalist in 2004 (w. Black) and in 2008 (w. Peschke).  Both Raymond and Stubbs are former doubles World No.1’s and jointly held the No. 1 ranking for three weeks in 2000.

Vania King/Yaroslava Shvedova:

King/Shvedova have enjoyed a breakthrough season, winning two Grand Slam titles within three months of first partnering at the AEGON Classic (Birmingham). In just their third tournament together they defeated Elena Vesnina/Vera Zvonareva to win the Wimbledon women’s doubles title and followed that up with a US Open title, saving a match point to defeat Liezel Huber/Nadia Petrova and maintain their unbeaten record in majors.  They also reached the final at UNICEF Open (‘s-Hertogenbosch) losing to Alla Kudryavtseva/Anastasia Rodionova.  Both King and Shvedova are headed to the WTA Championships for the first time in their careers.  Shvedova – the first player in history from Kazakhstan to win a Grand Slam title of any kind – was also a runner up at the 2010 Roland Garros in mixed doubles (with Julian Knowle), while King has won 12 tour-level doubles titles with other partners.

RACE TO THE WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS–DOHA 2010 as of the week of October 4, 2010

*           Denotes player that has qualified yet withdrew due to injury

**         Denotes player/team has already qualified

^          Due to Venus Williams’ injury, team unable to participate in the event of eventual qualification

Results – Sunday, October 3, 2010
Singles – First Round
(Q) Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) d. (4) Samantha Stosur (AUS) 26 76(5) 75
(9) Li Na (CHN) d. (Q) Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) 62 60
(Q) Roberta Vinci (ITA) d. (10) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 63 26 63
(12) Maria Sharapova (RUS) d. Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 64 76(5)
(13) Nadia Petrova (RUS) d. (WC) Han Xinyun (CHN) 62 62
Gisela Dulko (ARG) d. (14) Aravane Rezai (FRA) 64 26 64
Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. (16) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 75 61
Maria Kirilenko (RUS) d. (WC) Zhang Shuai (CHN) 61 60
Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) d. (Q) Lu Jing-Jing (CHN) 61 60
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) d. Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 60 76(6)
Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 76(4) 61
Polona Hercog (SLO) d. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 63 06 63
(Q) Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) d. (Q) Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 57 64 63

Doubles – First Round

(5) Llagostera Vives/Martínez Sánchez (ESP/ESP) d. Scheepers/Schnyder (RSA/SUI) 63 64
Chuang/Govortsova (TPE/BLR) d. Bondarenko/Bondarenko (UKR/UKR) 60 61
Grandin/Hsieh (RSA/TPE) d. Lefèvre/Zakopalova (FRA/CZE) 61 61
(WC) Azarenka/Safina (BLR/RUS) d. (WC) Sun/Zhang (CHN/CHN) 62 75

Order of Play – Monday, October 4, 2010
Lotus Court (from 12.30hrs)
1. ATP: Isner vs. Yang
2. Dinara Safina vs. Vera Zvonareva (NB 15.00hrs)
3. Marion Bartoli vs. Ana Ivanovic
4. ATP: Kohlschreiber vs. Verdasco (NB 19.30hrs)
5. Gisela Dulko vs. Maria Kirilenko

Moon Court (from 12.00hrs)
1. Sara Errani vs. Peng Shuai
2. ATP: Fish vs. Tipsarevic (NB 14.30hrs)
3. ATP: Berrer vs. Berdych (NB 16.00hrs)
4. Jelena Jankovic vs. Bojana Jovanovski (NB 19.30hrs)
5. Jans/Rosolska vs. Llagostera Vives/Martínez Sánchez

Court 1 (from 12.00hrs)
1. Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Angelique Kerber
2. Sun Shengnan vs. Shahar Peer (NB 13.30hrs)
3. ATP: Ljubicic/Robredo vs. Lu/Mayer (NB 15.00hrs)
4. ATP: Simon vs. Querrey

Court 3 (from 12.00hrs)
1. Alexandra Dulgheru vs. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova
2. Nadia Petrova vs. Alona Bondarenko (NB 13.30hrs)
3. Date Krumm/Peng vs. Amanmuradova/Kudryavtseva (after suitable rest)
4. Niculescu/Peer vs. Kleybanova/Makarova (after suitable rest)

Court 4 (from 12.00hrs)
1. Vera Dushevina vs. Ekaterina Makarova
2. Medina Garrigues/Yan vs. Bacsinszky/Garbin
3. Dushevina/Parra Santonja vs. Raymond/Stubbs (after suitable rest)
4. Han/Liu vs. Errani/Vinci (after suitable rest)

“I congratulate both Serena and Kim for qualifying for the WTA Championships and am glad that fans all over the world will have the opportunity to watch these two incredible players compete for the coveted title in Doha,” said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

SERENA WILLIAMS:

World No.1 Serena Williams has qualified for the WTA Championships for the seventh time in her career and is headed to Doha as the defending champion, having defeated sister Venus in the 2009 final.  In her career, Serena has held the World No.1 ranking for 122 weeks (6^th all-time), including all of 2010 season to date.  Serena enjoyed a successful start to the 2010 season, capturing her 12^th Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open, in addition to taking home the doubles trophy with Venus.  At Roland Garros, she reached the quarterfinals (l. to Stosur) and also won the doubles title with Venus. She then went on to capture her 13^th Grand Slam victory at Wimbledon two weeks later, passing Billie Jean King’s career number of Grand Slams singles title wins.

In addition to her success at the Grand Slams, Serena reached the final of the Medibank International (Sydney, l. to Dementieva) and the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Rome, l. to Jankovic).

KIM CLIJSTERS:

“A year into my comeback, making the WTA Championships is a great achievement to me. It’s certainly a personal highlight and goal of mine,” said World No.5 Clijsters.  “I’ve never been to Doha so it will be exciting to travel there as it’s a place I’d like to see and learn about.”

Just one year since making a comeback to the sport after a two-year hiatus, Kim Clijsters is the fourth player to qualify for the WTA Championships and will attempt to win her third year-end title, having previously captured the trophy in 2002 and 2003.  This year marks Clijsters’ seventh year-end Championships appearance, the first since 2006.

Clijsters has had a terrific 2010 season, highlighted by winning her third US Open title, and reaching her “second-career” highest ranking of World No.3 on August 23, 2010.  Clijsters has an impressive 36-6 win-loss record this year and has reached the quarterfinals or better seven times in 10 tournaments played.  In 2010, Clijsters has won four tournaments – the Brisbane International (Brisbane), the Sony Ericsson Open (Miami), the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open (Cincinnati), in addition to defending her title at the US Open.

RACE TO THE WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS – DOHA 2010 (as of the week of September 27, 2010)

** Denotes player/team has already qualified

“I’m thrilled to be going back to Doha.  I’ve been at the year-end WTA Championships for the past couple of years and I am very happy that I have been able to compete there for three years in a row now,” said World No.4 Zvonareva.

“Vera has had the best season of her career, highlighted by reaching back-to-back Grand Slam finals in addition to a career-high ranking of World No.4,” said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the WTA.  “After last season plagued by injuries, Vera’s worked incredibly hard to recover and get back to the top of the sport and it’s fantastic that she will finish a great year at the WTA season finale in Doha.”

Zvonareva will make her fourth appearance at the prestigious year-end WTA Championships, having debuted in Los Angeles in 2004, in addition to her three consecutive trips to Doha, where she finished as a runner-up to Venus Williams in 2008.

Zvonareva has enjoyed a breakthrough 2010, highlighted by back-to-back Grand Slam final appearances at Wimbledon (l. to S. Williams) and the US Open (l. to Clijsters).  Zvonareva is currently ranked a career-high World No.4.  Zvonareva also won her 10^th career title at the PTT Pattaya Open (Pattaya), and reached the final at the Family Circle Cup (Charleston, l. to Stosur) and the Rogers Cup (Montreal, l. to Wozniacki), making her one of three players this season to reach five finals (Sharapova, Wozniacki).

Zvonareva’s interests outside of tennis include involvement in numerous charitable organizations in addition to currently studying for a degree in International Relations and Economics at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  She enrolled in this program in 2007 while being sidelined from tennis with an injury.  Earlier this year, Zvonareva became a supporter of the International Rett Syndrome Foundation, an organization fighting the debilitating disease affecting young girls.

RACE TO THE WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS – DOHA 2010 (as of the week of September 27, 2010)

** Denotes player/team has already qualified

Results – Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Singles – Third Round
(1) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. (16) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 61 62
(2) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d. (Q) Roberta Vinci (ITA) 64 60
Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. (3) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 64 64
(5) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. (WC) Kimiko Date Krumm (JPN) 63 63
(6) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Andrea Petkovic (GER) 63 63
(7) Elena Dementieva (RUS) d. Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 64 62
(8) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. (11) Marion Bartoli (FRA) 62 ret. (viral illness)
(Q) Coco Vandeweghe (USA) d. Julia Goerges (GER) 63 60

Doubles – First Round
(1) Dulko/Pennetta (ARG/ITA) d. (WC) Date Krumm/Morita (JPN/JPN) 62 75
(2) Peschke/Srebotnik (CZE/SLO) d. Kirilenko/Petrova (RUS/RUS) 63 62
(3) Chan/Huber (TPE/USA) d. Goerges/Rodionova (GER/AUS) 60 46 102 (Match TB)
Garbin/Schiavone (ITA/ITA) d. (4) King/Shvedova (USA/KAZ) 76(2) 62
Peer/Peng (ISR/CHN) d. Errani/Medina Garrigues (ITA/ESP) 62 64

Order of Play – Thursday, September 30, 2010
Centre Court (from 11.00hrs)
1. Benesova/Zahlavova Strycova vs. Peschke/Srebotnik
2. Coco Vandeweghe vs. Victoria Azarenka
3. Francesca Schiavone vs. Kaia Kanepi
4. Caroline Wozniacki vs. Agnieszka Radwanska (NB 17.00hrs)
5. Elena Dementieva vs. Vera Zvonareva

Court 1 (NB 14.00hrs)
1. Dulko/Pennetta vs. Peer/Peng
2. Raymond/Stubbs vs. Garbin/Schiavone (after suitable rest)

Court 2 (NB 14.00hrs)
1. Chan/Huber vs. Azarenka/Safina (after suitable rest)

“Caroline and the team of Kveta and Katarina have had terrific seasons, highlighted by a series of titles,” said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the WTA.  “Caroline’s 2010 accomplishments have brought her to a career high ranking of World No.2 and Kveta and Katarina are headed to Doha as a team for the first time in their careers.  All three of these players are terrific ambassadors for the sport and I congratulate them on qualifying for the year-end WTA Championships.”

Caroline Wozniacki:

“It’s fantastic to be going back to Doha.  It was definitely a goal of mine at the start of the season to qualify for the year-end WTA Championships. I’m very happy about my year, and it’s great to know that I’ve already qualified,” said World No.2 Wozniacki.

Denmark’s Wozniacki, who reached the semifinals of her WTA Championships debut last year, has captured four singles titles so far this year: the MPS Group Championships (Ponte Vedra Beach), the e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open – an inaugural WTA event in Wozniacki’s hometown of Copenhagen, the Rogers Cup (Montreal), and the Pilot Pen Tennis at Yale (New Haven).  She also reached the final of the BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) and the semifinals of the Family Circle Cup (Charleston). During the 2010 season, Wozniacki was one of only two players (along with Venus Williams) to reach at least the fourth round of every Grand Slam, getting to the last 16 at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, the quarterfinals of Roland Garros and the semifinals of the US Open.  Wozniacki amassed a 13-match winning streak, the second longest on Tour this season (Venus Williams, 15) in winning back-to-back titles at Montreal and New Haven and advancing to the US Open semifinals.  Her strong performance during the summer events resulted in capturing the coveted US Open Series title.  Wozniacki is the first player to win 50 Tour-level singles matches this year and reached a career-high ranking of World No.2 on March 22, 2010, which she has held for a total of 15 weeks. During the US Open, where she was seeded No.1 at a major for the first time in her career, Wozniacki surpassed $5 million in career prize money earnings.

Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik:

“It’s definitely great that Katarina and I have made it to the WTA Championships as we’ve been working toward this goal all year and it’s really good to know that our results have put us into the top four doubles teams in the world,” said Peschke.

“The WTA Championships is such a special event and I am thrilled to have qualified because so few players ever get the chance to take part in either singles or doubles competition,” added Srebotnik.  “Kveta and I started playing together this year and we clicked right from the beginning and have become good friends in addition to playing some great tennis together.”

Peschke and Srebotnik will make their first appearance at the WTA Championships–Doha 2010 together, even though both players have previously qualified and played in the year-end event with other partners.  2010 marks Srebotnik’s fifth trip to the Championships (was runner-up with Ai Sugiyama in 2007), while Peschke participated in the event three times during 2006-2008, getting to the final in 2008 (with Rennae Stubbs).  As a team, Peschke/Srebotnik reached seven WTA tournament finals this year, winning two titles – at the BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) and the Pilot Pen Tennis at Yale (New Haven).  On their way to a 36-12 record in 2010, they also reached the final of Roland Garros, the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships (Dubai), the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart), the AEGON International (Eastbourne) and the Rogers Cup (Montreal).  Both Peschke and Srebotnik have a career-high doubles ranking of World No.3 and have returned to the Top 10 recently after missing most of 2009 with injuries.

RACE TO THE WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS – DOHA 2010 (as of the week of September 27, 2010)

Results – Sunday, September 26, 2010
Singles – First Round
(16) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) d. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 75 75
Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. (Q) Christina McHale (USA) 63 61
Maria Kirilenko (RUS) d. (LL) María José Martínez Sánchez (ESP) 63 67(5) 61
Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. Melanie Oudin (USA) 64 64
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. Angelique Kerber (GER) 63 63
Lucie Safarova (CZE) d. (Q) Chang Kai-Chen (TPE) 26 61 63
Alona Bondarenko (UKR) d. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 76(8) 62
Andrea Petkovic (GER) d. Gisela Dulko (ARG) 63 61
Olga Govortsova (BLR) d. (Q) Iveta Benesova (CZE) 64 75
Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) d. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 62 60
Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) d. (WC) Ayumi Morita (JPN) 63 75
(Q) Greta Arn (HUN) d. (Q) Laura Robson (GBR) 64 63

Doubles – First Round
(WC) Azarenka/Safina (BLR/RUS) d. Bacsinszky/Vinci (SUI/ITA) 57 63 119 (Match TB)

Order of Play – Monday, September 27, 2010
Centre Court (from 11.00hrs)
1. Yaroslava Shvedova vs. Kurumi Nara
2. Kimiko Date Krumm vs. Maria Sharapova
3. Olga Govortsova vs. Agnieszka Radwanska
4. Alona Bondarenko vs. Jelena Jankovic (NB 17.00hrs)
5. Alisa Kleybanova vs. Ana Ivanovic

Court 1 (from 10.30hrs)
1. Marion Bartoli vs. Yanina Wickmayer
2. Lucie Safarova vs. Victoria Azarenka
3. Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Agnes Szavay
4. Julia Goerges vs. Dinara Safina

Court 2 (from 10.30hrs)
1. Shahar Peer vs. Timea Bacsinszky
2. Nadia Petrova vs. Roberta Vinci
3. Coco Vandeweghe vs. Klara Zakopalova
4. Polona Hercog vs. Aravane Rezai

Court 3 (from 10.30hrs)
1. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova vs. Sara Errani
2. Llagostera Vives/Martínez Sánchez vs. Raymond/Stubbs
3. Errani/Medina Garrigues vs. Peer/Peng
4. Alexandra Dulgheru vs. Ekaterina Makarova

Court 4 (NB 15.00 hrs)
1. Garbin/Schiavone vs. King/Shvedova (after suitable rest)
2. Kirilenko/Petrova vs. Peschke/Srebotnik (after suitable rest)