BRUSSELS, Aug 2: Belgian world No 1 Justine Henin and Serbia's Jelena Jankovic are the first players to qualify for the season-ending WTA Tour championship in Madrid, organisers said on Thursday.

Henin, who took the title in Madrid last year, currently leads the WTA Tour, winning five titles so far this season while world number three Jankovic has claimed four titles to date in 2007.

“I am proud of the fact that for the second year in a row, I am the first to qualify as one of the elite players and can’t wait to go back there and be a part of that special atmosphere,” Henin said in a statement.

Jankovic is the first Serbian woman to qualify for the event which starts on Nov 6. The top eight performers over a season qualify for the tournament, worth 3 million dollars in prize money.

“At the beginning of last year I was going through a really tough time and was considering quitting the sport, going back to university, and 15 months later it has all turned around. It’s incredible,” Jankovic said.—Reuters