Sisters to face off for another title

DOHA, Qatar – The Williams sisters will end their season with another title matchup.

Venus Williams defeated Jelena Jankovic, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, on Saturday in one semifinal at the Sony Ericsson Championships. Serena Williams won the other when Caroline Wozniacki quit because of an abdominal injury while trailing, 6-4, 0-1.

Serena, who secured the year-end No. 1 ranking this week, is returning to the final of the WTA Tour’s season-ending championships for the first time since 2004. She was knocked out in the group stage the past two years, but was the only player to go undefeated through the round-robin rounds this time.

“I just came in here trying to do my best, and here I am,” she said.

Serena won the event in 2001 and has been runner-up twice. Today, Venus will defend her title from last year.

“It’s wonderful, I’m so excited,” Venus said. “It’s the way I wanted to end my year.”

Serena beat Venus in this year’s Wimbledon final, the fourth time they played each other for that Grand Slam title.

The American sisters were back on the court about 30 minutes after Serena’s win Saturday to compete in the four-team doubles event. They missed out on a second final, however, losing to Spaniards Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, 2-6, 6-4, 10-8, after a champions tiebreaker.

Wozniacki received medical treatment on her stomach in the first set and quit after breaking Williams to start the second. The 19-year-old Dane has been battling injuries all week, and reiterated after the match that aching abdominal muscles were affecting her serve.