Maria qualifies for Madrid Masters

Maria Sharapova, ousted from next month's Masters in Madrid by Sunday's winner in Linz Daniela Hantuchova, has been given a reprieve following the defection of Venus Williams.

Williams pulled out of the November 5-11 tournament for the top eight rated players on Sunday citing fatigue with as a result Sharapova inheriting the eighth and final berth.

The Russian, who has not played since October 10 due to a problem with her right shoulder, said: "It's been a frustrating year for me physically, but I'm a great battler and I want to make it there."

Marion Bartoli, placed 10th in the WTA rankings, will as the first replacement travel to Madrid to be ready to compete should there be any further defections.

"The Race to the Sony Ericsson Championships this year has been thrilling, and it's a great credit to Maria and Daniela that they have secured spots for Madrid," said Dee Dutta, CVP and Global Head of Marketing at Sony Ericsson.  "With so many current and future champions in the field, fans will truly be treated to the best of the best in women's tennis."

Aside from Sharapova and Hantuchova, who moved into contention with her 6-4, 6-2 success over Switzerland's Patty Schnyder in the Linz WTA final, the rest of the Masters cast list consists of Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic, Serena Williams and Anna Chakvetadze.