• WTA Finals

Wozniacki digs deep to stun Sharapova

Caroline Wozniacki dented Maria Sharapova's hopes of ending the season as World No.1 © Getty Images

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Maria Sharapova's chances of ending the season as World No.1 were dealt a blow after a 7-6(4) 6-7(5) 6-2 loss to Caroline Wozniacki at the WTA Finals.

Sharapova had 15 double-faults, including two while serving for the first set, and 76 unforced errors. Wozniacki finished the match, which had 12 breaks of serve, with 35 unforced errors.

It was Wozniacki's second straight victory over Sharapova. The Dane also won in the fourth round of this year's US Open.

"I'm feeling a little tired," Wozniacki said. "But it was a great match and great to make a winning start. It's always tough to play your first match and get into rhythm on a new court. I'm just so happy to win and the crowd was unbelievable out there."

"Everyone wants to be here. At the start of the year it's our goal. In the middle of the year it didn't look like I had a chance but I had an amazing summer, reached the US Open and now I'm back. It feels great."

Sharapova needs to reach at least the final in Singapore and hope Serena Williams loses her two remaining group matches to overtake the American and finish the season with the top ranking for the first time.

After forcing the tiebreaker in the first set, Wozniacki trailed 4-2 but won five straight points to take the set.

Wozniacki went up a break early in the second, but relinquished the advantage in the sixth game as she complained to the chair umpire about swirling lights which suddenly came on mid-point and remained on for the rest of the game.

Wozniacki recovered quickly after dropping the set, however, breaking Sharapova early in the third and then again to end it.

All four of Sharapova's titles in 2014 required three sets, but it was Wozniacki, who is planning to run the New York Marathon next month, that had held on for victory this time.

No such stamina was required in Tuesday's other match as Agnieszka Radwanska had a comfortable 6-2 6-3 win over Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.

Radwanska has not performed at her best in past appearances at the season-ending event, having been eliminated at the group stage in three out of four years.

"I feel much better than last year at the championships," Radwanska said. "I haven't played many matches in the past two weeks, which has helped. I've learnt my lessons from past years about how to play at my best."

The match started after 11pm local time, when Kvitova said "normally I am sleeping", and began as an even contest. But Radwanska managed breaks in the Czech's last two service games of the opening set, and then won the final three games of the second set to record a convincing victory.

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