MOSCOW, Russia - It's not quite Russian roulette - the players have too much control over their destinies for that - but the stakes could hardly be higher at this year's Kremlin Cup. Three contenders are still gunning for a berth at next week's Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha - and every other woman in the field will be just as determined to end her season on a high.
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The top seed this year is last year's runner-up, Vera Zvonareva, who famously went to on even better things at Doha. There, having qualified for the season-ending championships for the second time, she beat all comers all the way to the final, where it took a vintage Venus Williams to stop her. That rousing form was carried into 2009 with a first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open and victory at Indian Wells, one of the four biggest non-Slam events on the calendar. But an ankle injury wrecked her progress in the spring and her results have been patchy on the comeback. Still, the 25-year-old is ranked No.7 in the world and will be hard to stop this week.
The player who beat Zvonareva for the title last year, Jelena Jankovic, is back at the No.2 seed and on a mission to recapture the magic that took her to the top ranking 12 months ago. It's been a rollercoaster year for the charismatic Serb, who hasn't shown the consistency that took her to the top. She's at her best when her back is against the wall, though, and her tournament win at Cincinnati and runner-up finish at Tokyo a few weeks ago showed she can still deliver the goods.
Seeded third in Moscow is another still in the hunt for a spot at the Championships: Agnieszka Radwanska, who also shone in 2008 but stalled a little in 2009. That said, the thoughtful Pole made a great run to the final at Beijing two weeks ago, and although she was upset by Petra Kvitova in the semis at Linz on Saturday, weariness can probably take some of the blame. Assuming she's fresh, the 20-year-old can be a threat again this week; having made it to Doha last year as an alternate, she makes no secret of the fact she's desperate to return. But she'll have to win the tournament.
Flavia Pennetta, bumped from the No.10 ranking by Radwanska last week, is Moscow's No.4 seed. While her semifinal loss in Linz to eventual champion Yanina Wickmayer ended the 27-year-old's SEC hopes, her consistently high standards should see her at least match last year's quarterfinal showing here.
Nadia Petrova, who was runner-up to fellow Muscovite Anna Chakvetadze in 2006, is the No.5 seed with another Russian, Elena Vesnina, seeded sixth after her best season to date.
The No.7 seed is Dominika Cibulkova, making her return from a two-month rib injury lay-off and having slipped from the Top 20. Realistically, the 20-year-old Slovak probably won't win her maiden Tour singles title this week - but what she lacks in height she makes up for with heart, and she's proven she can trouble anyone.
Feisty Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone, who has reached two finals in recent months - she was Stosur's victim in Osaka - rounds out the seeds at No.8. Schiavone was runner-up in Moscow in 2005, falling to Mary Pierce.
Wildcards have been awarded to young Russians Ksenia Pervak and Yana Buchina, with other locals to watch including Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Maria Kirilenko and Chakvetadze.
The Spanish duo of Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez will be aiming to win a seventh title of the season as the top seeds in the doubles. Either way, they're set to make their SEC debuts at Doha.
