ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced today that Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova, Elina Svitolina and Venus Williams have qualified for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global set to take place from October 22-29, 2017. They will join Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza in the singles field, with only three spots remaining.
Simona Halep will make her fourth consecutive appearance at the WTA Finals, where she reached the final on her debut in 2014, defeating then-World No.1 Serena Williams in the group stage before falling to the American in the title match. The Romanian’s 2017 season has been highlighted by winning her 15th career WTA singles title at the Mutua Madrid Open and advancing to her second Grand Slam final at Roland Garros.
Karolina Pliskova has secured her second consecutive qualification at the WTA Finals Singapore, having made her debut in 2016 in both singles and doubles (alongside Julia Goerges). The 25-year-old has enjoyed great success in 2017, which culminated in her becoming the 23rd woman to hold the WTA World No.1 ranking, and the first player representing the Czech Republic to achieve this historic milestone since the computer rankings were introduced in 1975. This season, Pliskova has won three WTA singles titles, at the Brisbane International, the Qatar Total Open (Doha) and the Aegon International Eastbourne.
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina is set to make her debut appearance at the WTA Finals Singapore, having clinched a tour-leading five WTA singles titles this season including the Taiwan Open (Taipei City), Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup, Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Rome), and the Rogers Cup (Toronto). The 23-year-old also reached her second Grand Slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros, subsequently earning her a WTA Top 5 debut.
Venus Williams will make her fifth showing at the WTA Finals, and first in Singapore. The American lifted the Billie Jean King trophy in 2008 at Doha, going undefeated in the group stage where she defeated her sister Serena Williams, and overcoming Vera Zvonareva in the championship match. In 2017, the 37-year-old has reached two Grand Slam finals, at the Australian Open and The Championships, Wimbledon, and advanced to the semifinal stage at the US Open. Following her run at Flushing Meadows, Williams returned to the WTA Top 5 for the first time since January 2011.
“Congratulations to Simona, Karolina, Elina and Venus on qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global,” said Steve Simon, WTA CEO and Chairman. “Each of these players have had incredible seasons, positioning themselves for the opportunity to compete at the year-end finale and hold the prestigious Billie Jean King Trophy. We look forward to seeing them all in Singapore.”
Staged at the Singapore Sports Hub from October 22-29, the 2017 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global is an eight-day tennis festival featuring the world’s best players vying for US$7 million in prize money and two of the most prestigious titles in women’s tennis. The Top 8 singles players will compete in a round-robin format with the winner taking home the Billie Jean King Trophy. The Top 8 doubles teams will compete in a knock-out format for the Martina Navratilova Trophy.
Halep, Pliskova, Svitolina and Williams join Muguruza in the singles field, along with Elena Vesnina/Ekaterina Makarova, Martina Hingis/Chan Yung-Jan, Ashleigh Barty/Casey Dellacqua and Lucie Hradecka/Katerina Siniakova who have all secured their spot in the doubles field.
The winner of the Porsche Race to Singapore – the player who sits at No.1 in singles leading into the WTA Finals – will not only seal a spot at the season-ending showpiece, but also be congratulated with a new Porsche 911 GTS Cabriolet.
