WTA Championships draw

The singles event features eight players and begins as a round robin event, split into two groups of four.

Red Group

(1) Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
(3) Serena Williams (USA)
(5) Angelique Kerber (GER)
(8) Li Na (CHN)

Three grand slam champions are in red group this year. World number one Victoria Azarenka, who won 6 titles including her maiden grand slam title early this year in Melbourne will look forward to clinch her very first YEC title after losing her first final last year to Petra Kvitova. Since losing the US open final to Serena Williams, Azarenka hasn't lost a single match or set in her last three tournaments and is in a 13 match win streak. Serena Williams, the second highest ranked player in red group, has also won 6 titles this year including two grand slams and the Olympics gold medal. (Charleston, Madrid, Wimbledon, Stanford, Olympics, US Open). Williams is 2/2 in YEC finals triumphing in 2001 and 2009. Angelique Kerber is the only player in the group without a grand slam but the German is having a fantastic season with reaching the semi finals of Wimbledon and winning two indoors titles earlier this year (Paris, Copenhagen). Kerber is competing for the first time in YEC. Li Na, former French Open champion, hasn't reached a quarter final stage of any of grand slams this year though she made the cut. Chinese won Cincinnati and is competing for the second time after competing last year.



White Group

(2) Maria Sharapova (RUS)
(4) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
(6) Petra Kvitova (CZE)
(7) Sara Errani (ITA)

Maria Sharapova won three titles this year, all of them on clay, including French Open. Sharapova completed the career grand slam by winning the French Open but narrowly missed the chance to complete the career golden slam as she lost in the Olympic final to Serena Williams. Sharapova's last two defeats come from Azarenka's racket (US Open and Beijing). Agnieszka Radwanska is also having the best year of her career achieving the highest rank and reaching the first ever grand slam final at All England Club. More over she won Dubai, Miami and Brussels coming into her 4th YEC as the 4th seed this year. The defending champion Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic will start her title defense in white group as the 6th seed this year. Kvitova won last year's title without losing a match. Former Wimbledon champion couldn't get her self into grand slam winning circle this year although she won Montreal and New Haven to clinch the US Open series.Kvitova passed the fourth round stage of first three grand slams of this season. Sara Errani of Italy is the surprise package of  among the field as the Italian  is having a breakthrough season. Errani won four international clay titles (Acapulco, Barcelona, Budapest, Palermo) and reached the final of French Open. Also She reached the quarter finals of Australian Open and the Semi finals of US Open. Errani also competes in the doubles event along with Robreta Vinci.

Samantha Stosur of Australia and Marion Bartoli of France are the two alternates.