By virtue of her title at Linz, Daniela Hantuchova ties Maria Sharapova for the eight and final spot at the Sony Ericssion Championships – an unexpected feat described by the Slovakian as "quite a miracle." It's Hantuchova's third career after triumphs at Indian Wells this year and in 2002. If things had stayed as they were, Hantuchova would have been given the final berth ahead of Sharapova – ties are settled based on who has played the most WTA tournaments and Hantuchova has 26 to Sharapova's 12. But Sharapova is in anyway, because Venus Williams has pulled out. "I am pleased that I finished the year in the top eight and in recent weeks I have remained optimistic about participating in the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships," Venus said in a statement released by the WTA. "Nevertheless, the accumulation of matches has taken its toll and I have received several medical opinions to delay my return to competitive tennis."
It's not certain that Sharapova will participate either – dogged by shoulder trouble, she has played only one match since the US Open, pulling out of Zurich and Linz after an opening-round loss in Moscow. "This has been a very frustrating year for me physically, but I am a big competitor and I am determined to compete at the Sony Ericsson Championships," said Sharapova in a WTA statement.
| Officially Qualified | Tied for Eighth | Withdrawn | Next In | |
 Henin   Kuznetsova |   Serena  |  Hantuchova  |  Venus |  Bartoli |
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