Petra Kvitova wins to end Sharapova's shot at No. 1

Singapore: Petra Kvitova beat Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-2 at the WTA Finals on Thursday and ended the Russian player's hopes of claiming the year-end No. 1 ranking.

Sharapova needed a win to have any chance of overhauling Serena Williams for the top ranking, and started brightly by winning the opening two games. But Kvitova took over from there, winning 11 of the next 12 games.

The two-time Wimbledon champion's powerful and accurate groundstrokes took her to a 1-1 record in the round-robin stage, while Sharapova dropped to 0-2.

Earlier, Caroline Wozniacki moved closer to a place in the semifinals by beating Agnieszka Radwanska 7-5, 6-3.

Williams will be hoping to shake off her 6-0, 6-2 loss to Simona Halep when she takes on Eugenie Bouchard in a night match.