Two-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber will face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) on Tuesday for the start of the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai/China. Moscow winner Julia Görges will initially have to deal with Magdalena Rybarikova from Slovakia.
The so-called B-WM is held in four groups of three. The hard court tournament in Zhuhai, which is endowed with $2.28 million in prize money, will be attended by twelve participants: eleven players, who were ranked ninth to nineteen in the race classification, as well as wildcard starter Shuai Peng (China). The group winners reach the semi-finals.
Another opponent of Kerber (No. 8) in the “Group Rose” is, next to Pavlyuchenkova (No. 4), the Australian Ashleigh Barty, who has placed ninth. Görges (No. 7), who won the Premier Tournament in Moscow just over a week ago, will be confronted with the top-seeded, but currently shapely French player Kristina Mladenovic in the “Group Azalea” alongside Rybarikova (No. 10). US Open winner Sloane Stephens (USA) was drawn into the “Group Camellia”.
Steffi Graf is the patron of the tournament in the Chinese tourist town of Guangdong province. Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) had won the WTA final of the top eight players in Singapore on Sunday. This event is considered an unofficial World Cup.