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Williams jolly for Turkey shoot

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The season-ending WTA Tour Championships get underway in Istanbul on Tuesday with the top eighth players in the world set to battle it out to see who is crowned top dog. Victoria Azarenka is the top seed but Serena Williams heads the market after her superb end to the year (Williams 6/5 Outright Winner).

Joining the two US Open finalists will be Russia’s Maria Sharapova, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, German star Angelique Kerber, Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, Italy’s Sara Errani and China’s finest Li Na, meaning all eight players hail from different countries.

The eight stars have been split into two groups with Williams, Azarenka, Li and Kerber in the Red Group and Sharapova, Radwanska, Kvitova and Errani contesting the White Group.

The tournament begins with a round-robin format and so each player will play three matches with the top two advancing to the semi-finals.

Williams and Azarenka have already seen plenty of each other this year with the American generally dominating proceedings and she is favourite to win the group (Williams 8/11 Red Group Winner).

The Florida resident has beaten the world number one in two finals and two semi-finals in 2012, getting the better of her in the final in Madrid and at the US Open, while taking care of business in the semis at the Wimbledon Championships and back at SW19 in the London Olympics.

Williams has now won 15 Grand Slam titles and, if she can maintain the form she showed at the All England Club twice and at Flushing Meadows, it is hard to look past her for a winner this week.

It is true that she can blow hot and cold at times and her motivation can be questionable, but when on her game she is still peerless.

Of her three opponents in the Red Group, only Azarenka really has the ammunition to down the US legend but she has won just one match against the younger Williams sibling in 11 attempts – and that was three years ago.

The Belarusian did take a set in New York City and she will hope to draw confidence from that, as she may well meet Williams again in the final if, as expected, both advance to the semi-finals.

And she is certainly the in-form player after winning 13 straight matches following her defeat in the Big Apple and revenge will be on her mind this week.

Li and Kerber are both excellent players and the German did beat Williams in Cincinnati earlier this year, while Li has taken her scalp once back in 2008.

But when it matters, the five-time Wimbledon champion usually raises her game and it would be a major surprise if either of the lesser lights made the knock out stage of the tournament.

The White Group looks a much more competitive affair, with Sharapova favourite to take it (Sharapova 5/4 White Group Winner).

She has enjoyed an excellent year and secured a career grand slam with victory in the French Open final after losing to Azarenka in the final of the Australian Open.

However the Russian’s form tailed off slightly towards the end of the season with a fourth-round exit to Sabine Lisicki at Wimbledon before winning just one game in the Olympic gold medal match against Williams.

The 25-year-old did reach the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows but was unable to get past Azarenka and it may be that a semi-final appearance is the limit of her ambitions in Turkey this week.

Errani looks to be the whipping girl in this group and may well make up the numbers but Kvitova and Radwanska will prove tough nuts to crack.

Sharapova does hold a winning 4-2 record over Kvitova but the Czech star has generally pushed her all the way and possesses the weapons to upset to world number two.

Her victory in the 2011 Wimbledon final proves that she is not scared of reputations and their match-up could be key to her chances of reaching the semi-finals.

Radwanska has beaten Sharapova twice in nine attempts but did prevail the last time they they met in Miami earlier this season.

However that result was the exception to the rule as you have to go way back to 2007 to find her other triumph at the US Open.

With Sharapova favourite to advance, the winner of the Kvitova – Radwanska clash could follow her and the Czech has yet to lose to the Pole.

They have only played three times but Kvitova has just dropped just one set and generally been far too good for her opponent.

The end-of-season shoot-out can produce shock results but, if everything goes to plan, Williams will probably play Azarenka in the final with history suggesting she will add yet another trophy to her bulging cabinet, as she has a 9-1 winning record against the rest of the field in 2012.


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