MUMBAI: Zee Sports will telecast the season ending Sony Ericsson Championship from Madrid Arena, Madrid from 8 November to 12 November, 2006. The Sony Ericsson Championship gather the Top eight singles players and top four doubles teams from the regular 2006 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season as they battle it out for the season ending titles and a share of the $ 3 million prize money.
The top eight women players who have qualified for this edition of Sony Ericsson World Championship are Justine Henin Hardenne, Amelia Mauresmo, Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznestsova, Nadia Petrova, Elena Dementieva, Martina Hingis and Kim Clisters. The defending champions are Amelie Mauresmo (singles) and Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur (doubles), the release adds.
Four former champions and five number ones are in Madrid this week for arguably the most competitive season-ending Championships in Sony Ericsson WTA Tour history, which also features the first-ever three-way battle for the year-end number one ranking. Honoring the host nation, the two Groups have been named Yellow and Red, with four players from the elite eight – who qualified based on their results during the regular 2006 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season – randomly placed in each group.
The world's top two players –number one Amélie Mauresmo and number two Maria Sharapova – head the Yellow and Red Groups respectively. Completing the Yellow Group is world number three Justine Henin-Hardenne, number five Nadia Petrova and number eight Martina Hingis. The remainder of an almost all-Russian Red Group consists of number four Svetlana Kuznetsova, number six Kim Clijsters and number seven Elena Dementieva. For the first time in Sony Ericsson WTA Tour history, there is a three-way battle for the year-end number one ranking, with incumbent Mauresmo up against Sharapova and Henin-Hardenne for the coveted achievement, the release states.
The round robin stage of the Sony Ericsson Championships will be conducted over four days between Wednesday and Friday, with each player meeting the other three women in their Group. The top two performers in each Group advance to semifinals, with the final scheduled for Sunday.
Catch the action LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on Zee Sports
Sony Ericsson World Championship
Nov 8, 2006
10:30 pm onwards
Sony Ericsson World Championship
Nov 9, 2006
10:30 pm onwards
Sony Ericsson World Championship
Nov 10, 2006
10:30 pm onwards
Sony Ericsson World Championship
Nov 11, 2006
6:00 pm onwards
Sony Ericsson World Championship
Nov 12, 2006
9:00 pm onwards
