White, red group vying for championship

(L-R) Sara Errani of Italy, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic, Serena Williams of USA, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, Li Na of China, Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, and Angelique Kerber of Germany pose with the Billie Jean King trophy for the official photo of the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships-Istanbul. [Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images for WTA]

The eight players were drawn into the following two groups:

RED GROUP (seed in parentheses)

(1) Serena Williams (USA) (3) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) (5) Petra Kvitova (CZE) (8) Angelique Kerber (GER)

WHITE GROUP

(2) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) (4) Li Na (CHN) (6) Sara Errani (ITA) (7) Jelena Jankovic (SRB)

Here is a comment from each player on their draw:

Serena Williams: "It's a tough group. I have to be ready. That's the thing about this tournament and why it's so tough, you have to be ready from the first match on."

Victoria Azarenka: "It's the best eight players in the world. Anybody who is here is going to be a challenge. It's exciting. I can't wait to play all those players."

Agnieszka Radwanska: "I think it's never an easy draw. Of course, you're playing against the top eight players in the world. It's tough, especially with Serena in my draw and also the lefties. It's never easy, but hope I can play my best tennis as I have been the whole year and enjoy it."

Li Na: "In the championships, no one ever has an easy draw. You have to be ready when you come to the court. It's a big challenge."

Petra Kvitova: "Both of the groups are very tough and I don't think you can choose anyone who you think is weaker. This means that it's going to be a big fight every day, every match. I'm looking forward to it."

Sara Errani: "It's the best eight, so it will be tough for sure. But I'm happy to be here and play."

Jelena Jankovic: "It's a tough group. Playing the Championships, you are playing against the best players in the world so there is no easy match, so every match will be tough from the beginning. Playing this format, the round robin, you have to play your best tennis from the first match. There is no warm up. There is no getting your rhythm. You have to bring your best performance from the start to the end. I look forward to playing in my group and doing my best."

Angelique Kerber: "Of course it's never easy. I'm feeling good. I have nothing to lose here. I will try my best. I'm going to have fun, enjoy my tennis, and let's see what happens."