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DEMENTIEVA CLAIMS LAST SPOT IN COVETED SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS FIELD Solid performances down the stretch earns Russian pro the eighth slot in the prestigious event at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles; season-ending show down for $3 million purse begins Tuesday ST. PETERSBURG, FL USA – In a down-to-the-wire scramble for the last spot in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships presented by Porsche, Russian pro Elena Dementieva clinched the eighth and final spot in the prestigious season-ending event at STAPLES Center, the Tour announced today.Dementieva, a two-time Grand Slam finalists, completes the eight-player singles field which includes former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova, reigning US Open champion Kim Clijsters, No. 1-ranked Lindsay Davenport, former No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo, two-time Grand Slam champion Mary Pierce and rising stars Patty Schnyder and Nadia Petrova. Dementieva made a furious run for the final singles spot. She competed in five straight events down the stretch, reaching the quarterfinals or better in four of them. Entering this week in 10 th place in the Porsche Race to the Championships with 2,530 points, she finally clinched the spot by winning her quarterfinal match Friday in the Advanta Championships, ensuring she will finish the regular season in ninth-place and qualifying her for the Championships because sixth-place Justine Henin-Hardenne is idle for the remainder of the year due to a hamstring injury. She will be making her sixth straight appearance in the event. Her best showing was in 2000 when she reached the semifinals.The top eight singles players and top four doubles teams in the final Porsche Race to the Championships standings qualify for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships presented by Porsche. The singles winner will earn $1 million and a Porsche to be donated to charity, making this one of the richest prizes in women’s sports history. Visit the Elena Dementieva page here
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