As women’s tennis arrives at its final event of the season, everything continues to come up Russian.

Russian women won the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open this year, and starting tonight in Los Angeles, they are out for more bounty as the WTA Tour Championships kicks off. Five of the eight players who qualified for the year-ending tournament are Russian; only two, Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams, are American.

For the past two years, the Tour Championships has foregone a traditional 16-player draw and taken on the more forgiving and dramatic round robin format of the men’s Tennis Masters Cup. The women will be divided into two groups, Red and Black, and will play each opponent in a group once. The two top finishers in each group will then square off in the semifinals for a place in Monday’s final.

Atop Group Red stands Davenport, perhaps nearing retirement but finishing off one of her best years on the tour. She currently leads the world rankings, but will have French Open champion Anastasia Myskina, U.S. Open finalist Elena Dementieva, and Serena Williams to deal with in round-robin play.

Amelie Mauresmo holds the top spot in Group Black, followed by the Russian trio of Svetlana Kuznetsova (the U.S. Open winner), Maria Sharapova (Wimbledon champ), and Vera Zvonareva. The tournament is such that, yes, there could be an all-Russian semifinal and final.

In all likelihood, though, only one will remain standing in the semifinals. Sharapova is struggling with an injury and may not have the wherewithal to compete with the cream of the crop over six days. Dementieva has proven that her lollypop serve is a big-league liability against the game’s most powerful hitters. Myskina had a mediocre showing in Philadelphia, losing to fellow Russian Nadia Petrova in the quarterfinals.

That leaves Kuznetsova, the least heralded of the Russians, but also the most promising. She has several advantages over her countrywomen. First and foremost, she serves incredibly well, despite her modest height (5-feet-8 inches, compared to 6 feet for Dementieva and Sharapova).She has the strongest lower body of the group and her strokes are compact and struck with the most pace. She also covers the court and keeps her balance better than her counterparts. Most amazing of all, she knows what to do when confronted with the net – that is, volley, not run away.

Still, it would be a surprise if Kuznetsova got past Mauresmo, who, along with Davenport, is a favorite to advance to the final. Mauresmo fared well in this tournament last year, reaching the finals by defeating Justine Henin-Hardenne (absent this year owing to a persistent virus). She then lost to Kim Clijsters (now out with a wrist injury) in straight sets, winning only two games.

The Frenchwoman took a chunk out of her reputation as a choker in Philadelphia last week, eking out a tough victory over Venus Williams in the quarterfinals and a three-set win over Zvonareva in the finals. If she plays well here and Davenport falters, Mauresmo will finish the year ranked no. 1.

Davenport grew up in Southern California and could give her hometown fans a warm goodbye. She’s won seven tournaments this year and had the U.S. Open in her grasp before she pulling up lame against Kuznetsova.

Davenport could greatly help her chances at the Australian Open if she finished the season at no. 1. Or, just as likely, she’ll walk away from tennis at age 28 and move on with her life.

Williams, meanwhile, has been reduced to the wildcard, less than two years after dominating the game. She’s struggled with injuries this year and one never knows what to expect from her.

Nor did Serena seem too concerned with qualifying for the Tour Championships. Going into last week, she had been ranked ninth in the standings, giving her a tenuous hold on the final spot in Henin-Hardenne’s absence. Instead of playing in Philadelphia to shore up her ranking, Williams sat out. If not for a quarterfinal loss by Venus to Mauresmo, Serena might be the sister sitting home.

This is the third straight year the Tour Championships have been held at the Staples Center and tickets are reportedly selling better than last year, which was widely seen as a disappointment.

Davenport and Williams, also from Southern California, should drive sales, even with the constant attention given to the Russians. Tickets are still available for all sessions, so if you desire a weekend in Los Angeles, try Friday evening’s session, which offers a rare opportunity to collect a Davenport bobble-head doll.