The Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions is all about highlighting exciting new players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, and a new name burst upon the scene as Germany’s Andrea Petkovic claimed her maiden title in the beautiful setting of Bad Gastein in Austria with a 6-2 6-3 win over Ioana Raluca Olaru.

How new is she? Before she entered the Nurnberger Gastein Ladies she had played a total of just 11 matches on the Tour in her entire career, and managed only three wins at the top level, all coming at the Grand Slams. Part of that lack of success was perhaps due to a serious injury she suffered last year, when torn ligaments in her right knee, suffered at the Australian Open, kept her out of the game for the next eight months. But, says the 21-year old, that simply made her better.

"Rehabilitation was long and hard but made me a stronger person," she said after her victory. "Winning this title shows I am a better player now. I was hoping to land my first title here. It will take some time to realise I've actually done it but I am just very happy now."

If you thought she might be nervous at the beginning, playing her first final, think again. She rushed into a 5-0 lead and never looked back. The nerves came later.

"I played very well in the first set," she said. "I was hitting hard and putting a lot of pressure on her with my serves and returns. In the second set I was fighting with myself because I thought I could really win this, and my nerves were a bit tough to deal with. But I'm happy I kept calm."

While an unknown was winning in Austria, a far-from-unknown was winning her third title of the year, but her first International Series crown of 2009, in Slovenia. That player was world number one Dinara Safina, but it was far from easy for the Russian. She eventually won the Banka Koper Slovenia Open in Portoroz with a gritty 6-7 6-1 7-5 win over Italy’s Sara Errani. She really had to battle hard, with Errani twice going a break up in the final set.

Both Petkovic and Safina have added their names to those who could qualify for the season-ending Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions, to be held at the Bali Convention Centre, The Westin, Nusa Dua. The tournament takes place from 4th to 8th November, and will feature top Tour players and next generation champions competing in an innovative 12 woman round robin singles format, offering $600,000 in prize money. In addition, an incredible $1 million bonus will be paid to any player that can win three of the 30 International Series events, and the Tournament of Champions.

The top 10 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour players who have won at least one International Series tournament during the year and who are not participating in singles at the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships will qualify for the event, along with two wild cards. The 12-woman event will feature four groups of three players in a round robin format, then a single-elimination semi-finals and final.