World numbers six and seven, Francesca Schiavone and Australia's Sam Stosur, collide in the group stages of WTA Championships in Doha.

Thanks for joining us for this match, and you can now find out how Caroline Wozniacki crushed Elena Dementieva 6-1 6-1 to serve up a timely reminder to critics of her world number one ranking in Doha.

STOSUR WINS IN DOHA! Schiavone gives everything and battles until the end, but the Italian does not have enough guile or power to thwart Stosur, who holds serve to 15 and wins in 93 minutes!

BREAK! Brilliant from Stosur! It's an enthralling game as Schiavone is taken to deuce, and the Italian throws everything at her opponent, but cannot escape and is broken! Schiavone charges to the net as a last resort, but Stosur forces the error to seize the iniatiative in this second set.

Stosur is unerring on her serve, and it takes two fabulous forehand winners for Schiavone to haul herself back from 0-30 to 30-30. But Stosur holds her composure and still manages to hold.

It's tough work for Schiavone to hold serve, but she does manage to close out the game despite Stosur taking her to deuce and battling exceptionally hard for every point. A sloppy backhand attempted pass gifts the Italian the game.

Stosur holds her serve to 15 with two sliced serves outwide to close out the game with a flourish! The Australian is keeping pace with the intense Schiavone in this second set.

Schiavone keeps her nose in front with a very solid and composed service hold, and Stosur is not afforded a single cheap point as the Italian leads 3-2.

Stosur is again forced to battle extremely hard to hold her serve, but she does so from 40-30 to level at 2-2 with Schiavone desperate to regain the ascendancy in this match.

The Italian continues to battle hard at the start of this second set to keep pace with Stosur, and she holds with ease to remain in front. Can the Australian hold now? Schiavone looks very fired up all of a sudden.

Stosur levels at 1-1, but it is not plain sailing for the Australian: Schiavone slams a backhand down the line to take the game to 30-30, but Stosur comes through with three first deliveries.

Schiavone is allowed to settle swiftly into the second set with few problems, and Stosur is caught dwelling on her exploits of the first as she rather sluggishly plants two tame forehands into the net.

Vera Zvonareva powered past a lethargic Jelena Jankovic 6-3 6-0 in the opening game of the WTA Championships in Doha.

SET STOSUR! The Australian is clinical in completing her comeback to close out the opening set with a service hold to 15, and Schiavone cannot find a response to quell her opponent's surge of momentum!

It's five games in a row for Stosur! The fifth seed pounces to punish more apprehensive serving from Schiavone, and she breaks yet again to move to within a service hold of the opening set!

The comeback is complete for Stosur! The Australian levels at 4-4, and she continues to show immense courage and resilience in further pegging back Schiavone, who looks very shellshocked.

BREAK! How the momentum of the match has changed! Stosur slams an emphatic forehand winner down the line, and the Australian clinches a second successive break of serve to get back on terms with Schiavone, who needs to change the flow and quick!

Stosur consolidates her break of serve with a solid hold, and the Australian is really starting to fire now... how will Schiavone respond?

BREAK! What a way to halt the Schiavone charge! Stosur breaks her opponent to love, and that is a quite remarkable change of momentum in the match as the Australian suddenly kicks into gear with a flourish!

BREAK! Stosur is really struggling out there as she plants two forehands into the net tamely and cannot find any real rhythm on her first serve. Schiavone, on the other hand, continues to play with confidence and breaks for a second time.

Schiavone extends her lead with a composed hold to consolidate the break of serve, and Stosur is in big trouble now in this first set! Can the Australian force a response?