Petra Kvitova is the latest player to put herself in contention for a place in the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Championships, winning the first major title of her career by defeating Iveta Benesova 7-5 6-1 in Hobart.

All the winners of the WTA International Series events will join the Road To Bali, with the players who earn most points at those tournaments throughout the season qualifying for the $600,000 finale to be held at the Bali Convention Centre, Westin Hotel, Nusa Dua, between 8th and 14th November.

The conditions in Hobart added to the challenge, but the 18-year old stuck to the task well.

"It was very windy and cold, and when she came back to make it 5-5 in the first set I was very nervous," said Petra after the match. "Then I started focusing on every point and I started playing well again. The second set was much quicker. I'm very, very happy. I really like it here, so it's exciting for me to win my first title here."

Petra, whose tennis idol as she grew up was Martina Navratilova because they are both left-handed, also admires Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova, and she trains at the same club as seasoned pros Tomas Berdych and Lucie Safarova. She speaks Czech, Russian and English, and she also enjoys basketball and volleyball. Her favourite foods are pizza and pasta, and her favourite drink is apple juice, and she likes listening to U2.

The Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions will feature top Tour players and next generation champions competing in an innovative 12 woman round robin singles format, and offer both $600,000 in prize money and an opportunity to earn a $1 million bonus. The top 10 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour players who have won at least one International 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. A player who wins three International tournaments and the season-ending Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions will take home the additional $1 million bonus on top of her prize money.