The most consistent player on the WTA tour this year – Victoria Azarenka has already been rewarded with the year ending World No.1 rank, even before she entered these on-going season ending championships.

Azarenka has had a great run in 2012 as she won the Australian Open title along with five others. The Belarusian withdrew from the Toray Pan Pacific Open, Tokyo a few weeks ago after falling sick in the quarter-finals but looked fine in her first round in Beijing, where she added a fifth title to her name by defeating rival and World No.2 Maria Sharapova in the final. She has accumulated a win-loss record of 67-8 so far this season.

She locks horns today with German Angelique Kerber. Good friends off the court, these two often put up a good show when they square off with one another as indicated by their head to head record, that though is a 2-0 for Azarenka, but both were close matches. The German No.1 is all set to enter the championships in Istanbul as the fifth seed. Being World No.5 is the highest she has ever been in her career.

For the unorthodox German, it all started last year when she made the semis of the US Open which is till date her best result in a Grand Slam. She has since kicked on and is now a serious contender for the crown, she owns a win over Serena Williams this year, something that even Azarenka hasn't done. Her win-loss record stands at 60-19 this year.

TennisEarth picks a hard fought win for Azarenka in this one.