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Wozniacki closes on end of season top spot

Wozniacki continued her fine end of season form with a convincing win in Doha.
Wozniacki continued her fine end of season form with a convincing win in Doha.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Caroline Wozniacki one win away from claiming year-end No.1 ranking
  • Dane thrashes Elena Dementieva of Russia in opener at WTA Championships
  • Australian Sam Stosur beat Francesca Schiavone of Italy in Maroon Group match

(CNN) -- Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki powered to a straight sets win over Elena Dementieva in their WTA Championships opener to close on the year-end top spot in the world rankings.

Wozniacki, the top seed in the elite eight-woman field in Doha, will seal the No.1 spot if she beats Australian Samantha Stosur Wednesday in their second round-robin match in the Maroon Group.

Stosur later showed she was in fine form with a 6-4 6-4 victory over French Open champion Francesca Schiavone.

It was a measure of revenge for defeat to the 30-year-old Italian in the French final at Roland Garros and came after she trailed 4-0 in the opening set.

But Stosur claimed back the double break and broke through again on Schiavone's service to clinch the opening set. The decisive break in the second came in the ninth game and she served out for victory.

It was the only truly competitive match of the opening day, with Russian Dementieva appearing to be hampered by injury as she won just two games in a 6-1 6-1 defeat to the rock-solid Wozniacki.

Of course, now I'm the player to beat. You know, it's just a nice feeling
--Caroline Wozniacki
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She has won 31 of her last 33 matches to wrest the top spot in the rankings from Serena Willliams, who has been sidelined by injury since her Wimbledon triumph in July. Venus Williams is also absent from the $4.55 million tournament.

Victory came after just 53 minutes and in hot and humid conditions, Wozniacki, still only 20, was delighted to have expended so little energy.

"Of course, now I'm the player to beat. You know, it's just a nice feeling. It's nice to know that I've done so good results that I'm the number one player in the world. That is a fantastic feeling," Wozniacki told the official WTA website.

Earlier, second seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia, dropped only three games in beating an ailing Jelena Jankovic in their White Group clash.

Zvonareva, the Wimbledon and U.S. Open finalist is the only player who can dislodge Wozniacki from the top spot and showed a ruthless streak in dispatching her Serbian opponent 6-3 6-0.

Jankovic is suffering from sinus problems and struggled to finish the match.

"I had difficulty breathing during the match, felt dizzy and tingling and didn't have any power," she told AFP.

"I finished the match but had a really hard time. There were moments when I felt I was going to give up."

Zvonareva was pleased with her win but she saw room for improvement.

U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters begins her White Group campaign Wednesday against Jankovic.

The top two from each group go through to the semifinals ahead of Sunday's final in Qatar.