# 2008 WTA Tour Championships > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/2008_WTA_Tour_Championships > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/2008_WTA_Tour_Championships.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_WTA_Tour_Championships > Source revision: 1331289590 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Tennis tournament 2008 WTA Tour Championships Date 4–9 November Edition 38th (singles) / 33rd (doubles) Draw 8S / 4D Location Doha, Qatar Venue Khalifa International Tennis Complex Champions Singles Venus Williams Doubles Cara Black / Liezel Huber ← 2007 · WTA Finals · 2009 → The **2008 WTA Tour Championships** (also known as the *[Sony Ericsson](/source/Sony_Ericsson) WTA Tour Championships* for sponsorship reasons) was a [tennis](/source/Tennis) tournament played on outdoor [hard courts](/source/Hard_court). It was the [38th edition](/source/WTA_Tour_Championships#Singles) of the [year-end singles championships](/source/WTA_Tour_Championships), the [33rd edition](/source/WTA_Tour_Championships#Doubles) of the year-end doubles championships, and is part of the [2008 WTA Tour](/source/2008_WTA_Tour). It took place at the [Khalifa International Tennis Complex](/source/Khalifa_International_Tennis_Complex) in [Doha](/source/Doha), [Qatar](/source/Qatar), from 4 November through 9 November 2008. ## Finals ### Singles Main article: [2008 WTA Tour Championships – Singles](/source/2008_WTA_Tour_Championships_%E2%80%93_Singles) [Venus Williams](/source/Venus_Williams) defeated [Vera Zvonareva](/source/Vera_Zvonareva), 6–7(5–7), 6–0, 6–2. - It was Venus Williams' 3rd title of the year, and her 39th overall. It was her 1st career year-end championships title. ### Doubles Main article: [2008 WTA Tour Championships – Doubles](/source/2008_WTA_Tour_Championships_%E2%80%93_Doubles) [Cara Black](/source/Cara_Black) / [Liezel Huber](/source/Liezel_Huber) defeated [Květa Peschke](/source/Kv%C4%9Bta_Peschke) / [Rennae Stubbs](/source/Rennae_Stubbs), 6–1, 7–5. ## Players The top eight players and the top four doubles teams in the [2008 WTA Tour](/source/2008_WTA_Tour) will qualify for the Championships. Two more players will also come to [Doha](/source/Doha) as reserves. Should any player withdraw, they will enter the tournament. # Players Points Tournaments Date qualified 1 Jelena Janković (SRB) 4,786 30 July 2 Dinara Safina (RUS) 3,823 4 September 3 Serena Williams (USA) 3,681 13 4 September 4 Elena Dementieva (RUS) 3,400 18 September 5 Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 3,353 18 30 July 6 Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 2,627 17 October 7 Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 2,626 25 October 8 Venus Williams (USA) 2,524 25 October ### Qualified singles players On 30 July, [Jelena Janković](/source/Jelena_Jankovi%C4%87) and [Ana Ivanovic](/source/Ana_Ivanovic) became the first two players to qualify for the year-end championships.[1] [Jelena Janković](/source/Jelena_Jankovi%C4%87) reached her first Grand Slam final at the [US Open](/source/2008_US_Open_(tennis)). Following a surging 2007, Janković started the year at the [Hopman Cup](/source/2008_Hopman_Cup) where she partnered with [Novak Djokovic](/source/Novak_Djokovic) to reach the final, losing out to United States' [Serena Williams](/source/Serena_Williams) and [Mardy Fish](/source/Mardy_Fish).[2] She reached the semifinals of the [Australian Open](/source/2008_Australian_Open) a few weeks after falling to [Maria Sharapova](/source/Maria_Sharapova), the eventual champion [3] where she beat Serena Williams en route in the quarterfinals. In February and March, she reached a lone final at the [Sony Ericsson Open](/source/2008_Sony_Ericsson_Open) losing to Serena Williams 1–6, 7–5, 3–6. She further reached two semifinals and two quarterfinals. In the clay season, Janković won the [Italian Open](/source/2008_Italian_Open_(tennis)) for the second straight year against surprise finalist [Alizé Cornet](/source/Aliz%C3%A9_Cornet) who was an 18-year-old qualifier. At the French Open, she reached her third straight major semifinal but fell in three grueling sets to once again the eventual champion in Ana Ivanovic, a match that decided the new World No. 1. Janković then headed straight to [Wimbledon](/source/2008_Wimbledon_Championships) where she lost to [Tamarine Tanasugarn](/source/Tamarine_Tanasugarn) in the fourth round. Janković eventually became the 18th female No. 1, replacing compatriot Ivanovic on August 11.[4] At the [Beijing Olympics](/source/Tennis_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics), she lost to eventual silver medalist [Dinara Safina](/source/Dinara_Safina) in the quarterfinals. At the [US Open](/source/2008_US_Open_(tennis)), Janković beat [Elena Dementieva](/source/Elena_Dementieva) in the final four to reach her first Grand Slam final but lost to Serena Williams. In the fall season, she won three consecutive tournaments at the [China Open](/source/2008_China_Open_(tennis)), the [Porsche Tennis Grand Prix](/source/2008_Porsche_Tennis_Grand_Prix) and the [Kremlin Cup](/source/2008_Kremlin_Cup) justifying her return to the top spot. Main article: [2008 Ana Ivanovic tennis season](/source/2008_Ana_Ivanovic_tennis_season) Ana Ivanovic won the [French Open](/source/2008_French_Open). **Ana Ivanovic** began the 2008 season by reaching the finals of the [Australian Open](/source/2008_Australian_Open) where she lost to [Maria Sharapova](/source/Maria_Sharapova) in straight sets. She then managed to win her sixth title and third Tier I title in [Indian Wells](/source/2008_Pacific_Life_Open), beating [Jelena Janković](/source/Jelena_Jankovi%C4%87) and [Svetlana Kuznetsova](/source/Svetlana_Kuznetsova) in the semifinals and finals respectively. Following a mediocre pre-French Open season where she failed to defend her title in [Berlin](/source/2008_Qatar_Telecom_German_Open), she entered [Roland Garros](/source/2008_French_Open) as the second seed and favourite. She lived up to that expectation by winning her first Grand Slam (and her only to date) and becoming the first Serbian to reach the No. 1 spot, virtue of beating compatriot Janković in the semifinals.[5] She defeated first-time Grand Slam finalist [Dinara Safina](/source/Dinara_Safina) 6–4, 6–3. In her first tournament as the new world No. 1 at [Wimbledon](/source/2008_Wimbledon_Championships), she was upset in the third round by Chinese wildcard [Zheng Jie](/source/Zheng_Jie). Following a disappointing Wimbledon campaign, she suffered an injury-marred US Open Series as she withdrew from [Los Angeles](/source/2008_East_West_Bank_Classic) and the [Olympics](/source/Tennis_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics), which Ivanovic described as "one of the worst moments in my career". She played only one tournament which was at the [Rogers Cup](/source/2008_Rogers_Cup) and was eliminated in the third round. As the top seed for the [US Open](/source/2008_US_Open_(tennis)), she suffered for the second straight major a loss to a player ranked outside the top 100 in French qualifier [Julie Coin](/source/Julie_Coin). She returned to form in October by winning the indoor tournament in [Linz](/source/2008_Generali_Ladies_Linz) as well as reach the semifinals at the [Kremlin Cup](/source/2008_Kremlin_Cup). On 4 September, [Serena Williams](/source/Serena_Williams) and [Dinara Safina](/source/Dinara_Safina) were announced as the third and fourth qualifiers for the Championships.[6] [Serena Williams](/source/Serena_Williams) won her third [US Open](/source/2008_US_Open_(tennis)) title. Main article: [2008 Serena Williams tennis season](/source/2008_Serena_Williams_tennis_season) **Serena Williams** started the year at the [Hopman Cup](/source/2008_Hopman_Cup) where she teamed up with [Mardy Fish](/source/Mardy_Fish) to win it for the US. At the [Australian Open](/source/2008_Australian_Open), she made the quarterfinals losing to Jelena Janković. [Dinara Safina](/source/Dinara_Safina) won four titles during the year. On 18 September, [Elena Dementieva](/source/Elena_Dementieva) became the fifth qualifier for the Championships.[7] [Elena Dementieva](/source/Elena_Dementieva) won [Olympic](/source/Tennis_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics) Gold. [Venus Williams](/source/Venus_Williams) won her fifth [Wimbledon](/source/2008_Wimbledon_Championships) title. On 17 October, by reaching the quarterfinals at the [Kremlin Cup](/source/2008_Kremlin_Cup), [Svetlana Kuznetsova](/source/Svetlana_Kuznetsova) was confirmed as the sixth qualifier.[8] [Svetlana Kuznetsova](/source/Svetlana_Kuznetsova) qualifies for the third straight year. On 25 October, the final two spots were taken by [Vera Zvonareva](/source/Vera_Zvonareva) and [Venus Williams](/source/Venus_Williams).[9] - [Jelena Janković](/source/Jelena_Jankovi%C4%87) (4786)[10] - [Dinara Safina](/source/Dinara_Safina) (3823) - [Serena Williams](/source/Serena_Williams) (3681) - [Elena Dementieva](/source/Elena_Dementieva) (3400) - [Ana Ivanovic](/source/Ana_Ivanovic) (3353)[10] - [Vera Zvonareva](/source/Vera_Zvonareva) (2626) - [Svetlana Kuznetsova](/source/Svetlana_Kuznetsova) (2627) - [Venus Williams](/source/Venus_Williams) (2524) ### Singles alternates - [Agnieszka Radwańska](/source/Agnieszka_Radwa%C5%84ska) (2256) - [Nadia Petrova](/source/Nadia_Petrova) (1914) ### Withdrawn players - [Maria Sharapova](/source/Maria_Sharapova) (2515) *(Sharapova announced a hiatus from tennis from the [Rogers Cup](/source/2008_Rogers_Cup) until 2009,[11] which prevented her from continuing to collect points and qualify)* ### Qualified doubles teams In doubles, team [Cara Black](/source/Cara_Black) and [Liezel Huber](/source/Liezel_Huber) qualified with convincing lead with more than 6,000 points, while other three teams all failed to collect even a half of that number of points, with all of them being around 2,000. - [Cara Black](/source/Cara_Black) / [Liezel Huber](/source/Liezel_Huber) (6158)[12] - [Anabel Medina Garrigues](/source/Anabel_Medina_Garrigues) / [Virginia Ruano Pascual](/source/Virginia_Ruano_Pascual) (2809) - [Květa Peschke](/source/Kv%C4%9Bta_Peschke) / [Rennae Stubbs](/source/Rennae_Stubbs) (2614) - [Ai Sugiyama](/source/Ai_Sugiyama) / [Katarina Srebotnik](/source/Katarina_Srebotnik) (2542) ## Singles Championship Race ### Singles Players in gold qualified for Doha. Players in brown withdrawn. The low-ranked players in blue after them would be played as alternates in Doha. Rank Player Mandatory Events Best Other Tournaments Total points Tourn AUS FRA WIM USO MIA 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 Jelena Janković SF 450 SF 450 R16 140 F 700 F 350 W 430 W 430 W 300 W 275 SF 210 SF 140 SF 125 QF 115 QF 110 QF 110 QF 110 QF 110 4,786 21 1 Jelena Janković QF 90 QF 70 QF 70 R16 1 4,786 21 2 Dinara Safina R128 2 F 700 R32 90 SF 450 QF 125 W 430 W 430 W 430 W 275 S 245 SF 195 F 100 QF 75 R16 65 R16 60 R32 40 R16 40 3,823 20 2 Dinara Safina QF 35 R16 35 R32 1 3,823 20 3 Serena Williams QF 250 R32 90 F 700 W 1000 W 500 W 430 W 275 SF 125 QF 110 QF 110 QF 90 R16 1 3,681 12 4 Elena Dementieva R16 140 QF 250 SF 450 SF 450 QF 125 G 353 W 300 F 300 SF 195 SF 195 W 165 SF 125 QF 110 F 100 QF 75 SF 65 R32 1 3,400 18 4 Elena Dementieva R32 1 3,400 18 5 Ana Ivanovic F 700 W 1000 R32 90 R64 60 R32 45 W 465 W 275 SF 195 SF 125 SF 125 QF 75 QF 70 R16 65 R16 60 R32 1 R16 1 R16 1 3,353 17 6 Vera Zvonareva R128 2 R16 140 R64 60 R64 60 SF 225 F 325 F 300 F 300 F 190 B 175 W 140 SF 125 W 115 QF 115 F 80 QF 75 QF 70 2,626 24 6 Vera Zvonareva R16 60 R16 35 QF 30 R16 1 R16 1 R32 1 R16 1 2,626 24 7 Svetlana Kuznetsova R32 90 SF 450 R16 140 R32 90 SF 225 F 325 F 300 F 215 F 190 F 190 QF 110 QF 110 R16 65 R16 60 R16 60 R16 1 R64 1 2,623 18 7 Svetlana Kuznetsova R32 1 2,623 18 8 Venus Williams QF 250 R32 90 W 1000 QF 250 QF 125 W 275 SF 140 SF 125 QF 110 QF 90 R16 65 R32 1 R32 1 2,522 13 9 Maria Sharapova W 1000 R16 140 R64 60 A 0 A 0 W 465 W 275 SF 210 SF 195 QF 110 R16 60 2,515 9 10 Agnieszka Radwańska QF 250 R16 140 QF 250 R16 140 R64 1 W 275 SF 210 W 140 SF 125 W 115 QF 115 QF 110 R16 60 R16 60 R16 60 SF 50 R16 40 2,256 23 10 Agnieszka Radwańska R16 35 R16 35 R32 28 R32 15 R32 1 R32 1 2,256 23 11 Nadia Petrova R16 140 R32 90 QF 250 R32 90 R64 1 F 215 SF 195 F 190 W 140 W 140 QF 110 SF 75 QF 70 QF 70 R16 60 R32 35 QF 35 1,914 25 11 Nadia Petrova R32 1 R32 1 R32 1 R64 1 R32 1 R64 1 R32 1 R32 1 1,914 25 ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["JANKOVIC AND IVANOVIC QUALIFY FOR SEASON-ENDING SONY ERICSSON CHAMPIONSHIPS – DOHA 2008"](http://www.wtatennis.com/SEWTATour-Archive/Archive/PressReleases/2008/doha2008_jankovicivanovic_qualify.pdf) (PDF). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["US edge out Serbia to win Hopman Cup"](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-01-05/us-edge-out-serbia-to-win-hopman-cup/1003592). *ABC News*. 2008-01-05. Retrieved 2016-10-15. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Sharapova romps into decider"](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-01-24/sharapova-romps-into-decider/1022380). *ABC News*. 2008-01-24. Retrieved 2016-10-15. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Janković dethrones Ivanovic, becomes new world No.1"](http://www.news18.com/news/india/jankovic-dethrones-ivanovic-becomes-new-world-no-1-294605.html). *News18*. 2008-08-11. Retrieved 2016-10-15. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Hodgkinson, Mark. ["French Open: Ana Ivanovic tops world with first grand slam victory at Roland Garros"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/frenchopen/2302766/French-Open-Ana-Ivanovic-tops-world-with-first-grand-slam-victory-at-Roland-Garros.html). *Telegraph.co.uk*. Retrieved 2016-10-15. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["SERENA WILLIAMS AND DINARA SAFINA QUALIFY FOR SONY ERICSSON CHAMPIONSHIPS - DOHA 2008"](http://www.wtatennis.com/SEWTATour-Archive/Archive/PressReleases/2008/doha2008_serenasafina_qualify.pdf) (PDF). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["ELENA DEMENTIEVA QUALIFIES FOR SONY ERICSSON CHAMPIONSHIPS"](http://www.wtatennis.com/SEWTATour-Archive/Archive/PressReleases/2008/doha2008_dementieva_qualify.pdf) (PDF). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Kuznetsova, Spanish Duo Qualify for Doha | OnTennis.com"](http://www.ontennis.com/news/kuznetsova-spanish-duo-qualify-doha). *www.ontennis.com*. Retrieved 2016-10-15. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Venus, Vera Qualify For Doha | OnTennis.com"](http://www.ontennis.com/news/venus-vera-qualify-doha). *www.ontennis.com*. Retrieved 2016-10-15. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Top2_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Top2_10-1) sonyericssonwtatour.com (2008-07-30). ["Janković, Ivanovic First To Qualify for Doha"](http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/1/newsroom/stories/?ContentID=2482). Retrieved 2008-08-01. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-SharapovaOut_11-0)** sonyericssonwtatour.com (2008-09-30). ["Sharapova Out for 2008, Hopeful for 2009"](http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/3/newsroom/stories/?ContentID=2671). Retrieved 2008-11-01. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** sonyericssonwtatour.com (2008-08-20). ["Black, Huber First Team to Qualify for Doha"](http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/newsroom/stories/?ContentID=2544). Retrieved 2008-08-14. ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [2008 WTA Tour Championships](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:2008_WTA_Tour_Championships). - [Official website](http://www.wtafinals.com) - [WTA tournament draws](https://wtafiles.blob.core.windows.net/pdf/draws/archive/2008/808.pdf) v t e WTA Finals 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 (Mar) 1986 (Nov) 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 v t e 2008 WTA Tour « 2007 2009 » Grand Slam events Australian Open (S, D, X) French Open (S, D, X) Wimbledon (S, D, X) US Open (S, D, X) Tier I tournaments Doha (S, D) Indian Wells (S, D) Miami (S, D) Charleston (S, D) Berlin (S, D) Rome (S, D) Montreal (S, D) Tokyo (S, D) Moscow (S, D) Tier II tournaments Sydney (S, D) Paris (S, D) Antwerp (S, D) Dubai (S, D) Bangalore (S, D) Amelia Island (S, D) Eastbourne (S, D) Stanford (S, D) Los Angeles (S, D) New Haven (S, D) Beijing (S, D) Stuttgart (S, D) Zürich (S, D) Linz (S, D) Tier III tournaments Gold Coast (S, D) Viña del Mar (S, D) Bogotá (S, D) Memphis (S, D) Acapulco (S, D) İstanbul Strasbourg (S, D) Birmingham (S, D) Rosmalen (S, D) Budapest (S, D) Bad Gastein (S, D) Cincinnati (S, D) Bali (S, D) Guangzhou (S, D) Tokyo (S, D) Luxembourg City (S, D) Quebec City (S, D) Tier IV tournaments Auckland (S, D) Hobart (S, D) Pattaya (S, D) Estoril (S, D) Fes (S, D) Prague (S, D) Barcelona (S, D) Palermo (S, D) Portorož (S, D) Stockholm (S, D) Forest Hills Seoul (S, D) Tashkent (S, D) Team events Fed Cup World Group I + World Group II WG I play-offs WG II play-offs Americas Asia/Oceania Europe/Africa Summer Olympic Games, Beijing (S, D) WTA Championships, Doha (S, D) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [2008 WTA Tour Championships](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_WTA_Tour_Championships) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_WTA_Tour_Championships?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.