DOHA, Qatar — Vera Zvonareva defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-3 Tuesday at the WTA's season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships.

The round-robin match was the first played at the championships, which features the top eight players.

The ninth-ranked Zvonareva capitalized on error-strewn play by Kuznetsova, who often yelled in frustration after mistakes.

Later Tuesday, top-ranked Jelena Jankovic played Ana Ivanovic, and Venus Williams faced Dinara Safina.