At the WTA Championships in Doha, Qatar, Caroline Wozniacki won a match today by defeating Italy’s Francesca Schiavone 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 but she also won something much more important. She clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking for 2010, with the victory.

For the 20-year old from Denmark, it’s been a long and successful year. To end the season on the top of the rankings, Wozniacki becomes the 10th different woman. To achieve Wozniacki her goal, injuries to Serena and Venus Williams helped, but as Wozniacki’s rivals and they will tell you, she deserved it.

Wozniacki, with the win will now play in the semi-finals in Doha against either Kim Clijsters or Samantha Stosur. The other semi-finalist is the Vera Zvonareva of Russia.

In Thursday’s session, Belgium’s Clijsters beat Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-, while Stosur, who was on a two match winning streak, lost 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4) to a tough Elena Dementieva of Russia.

Wozniacki admitted that on Thursday, she wasn’t in top form but she had enough to beat Schiavone, the 2010 French Open Champion. Wozniacki said, “I just hung in there and kept my focus and tried to get a little more aggressive and not let her dictate the game and that helped me through.”

Clijsters was pleased with her play on Thursday and many think is the favorite in Doha, but she expects to improve. Clijsters said, “It was a good match and obviously disappointing to lose that second set. It was close”.

Caroline Wozniacki · Elena Dementieva · Venus Williams · WTA

The 2010 French Open continued to see lesser-ranked opponents eliminate the top seeded tennis players. By seventh, seed Samantha Stosur of Australia, who has been playing her best tennis in her recent matches, top seed Serena Williams was knocked out of the tournament. Stosur was able to defeat the number one player in three sets, 6-2, 6-7 (2), 8-6. To move into the semi-final round of the French Open holding match point at 5-4, it seemed apparent that Williams was positioned to move into the semi-final round of the French Open. However, unfortunately her service point fell one inch long giving Stosur the opening advantage she needed.

The tennis community saw another early exit by a top seeded player, just a day after top seed Roger Federer was eliminated by Robin Soderling in the men’s quarterfinal of the French Open; the tennis community saw another early exit by a top seeded player. By Austrian Jurgen Melzer in five sets, 6-3, 6-2, 2-6, 6-7(3), 4-6, number three, Novak Djokovic was ousted. Digging deep from a two set deficit, Melzer was able to rally in the third set, winning and giving him the confidence to challenge Djokovic for a spot in the semi-finals. For an incredible 79 minutes, the epic fourth set lasted. Melzer played quite well, hitting 68 winners in the set giving the French Open spectators some thrilling tennis.

With a three set win over Nicolas Almagro, 7-6(2) 7-6(3) 6-4, Rafael Nadal from Spain moves into the semi-finals. With two sets ending in tiebreaks, the two Spaniards played a tight match. Nadal, known by many as the Clay Court King, was able to successfully break Almagro in both tiebreaks to give him the two set lead. In the third set at 5-4 to move into the semi-finals, Nadal was then able to break Almagro.

Fourth seed Jelena Jankovic over unseeded Yaroslava Shevdova. Jankovic won in two sets, 7-5, 6-, are other winners in today’s tennis matches. From dropping an opening set, sisters Serena and Venus Williams were able to rally to defeat Liezel Huber and A. Medina Garrigues in women’s doubles are other winners in today’s tennis matches.

With Elena Dementieva playing Francesca Schiavone for spots in the women’s final, the French Open women’s semi-finals will have Stosur taking on Jankovic. Men’s semi-finals action will include Soderling versus Tomas Berdych and Nadal playing Melzer, each vying for a coveted spot in the men’s French Open final.

2010 French Open · Elena Dementieva · Rafael Nadal · Serena Williams