Sloane Stephens has qualified as the sixth player and for the first time ever for the WTA final in Singapore (from 21 October). A trio is fighting for the two remaining places.
Before Stephens (USA), Wimbledon winners Angelique Kerber (Kiel), Simona Halep (Romania), Naomi Osaka (Japan), Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) and Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) had already secured their tickets for the final tournament of the season for the top eight players in 2018, which was endowed with 7.0 million dollars.
Stephens profited from the fact that the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina will not participate in any tournament next week.
Stephens, number six in the “Porsche Race to Singapore”, had reached the finale of the French Open this year, won the Premier Mandarory event in Miami and had entered the top ten for the first time in spring.
Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic), Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) and Svitolina are the two remaining places in the Singapore field. Although the Ukainer is currently in seventh place in the “Porsche Race” with 3850 points, she may have the worst starting position as she can no longer actively intervene in the action and is dependent on shooter assistance.
While Pliskova (3840/Nr. 8) and Bertens (3710/Nr. 9) will play at the WTA-Premier-Event in Moscow next week and will be able to collect points, Svitolina will not start at any tournament.
Here is an overview of the scenarios listed by the WTA before the decisive tournament in Moscow:
Karolina Pliskova has a better starting position than Bertens. On the one hand, she would make the leap to Singapore if Bertens fails in Moscow before the semi-finals. Regardless of this, the Czech is likely to participate in the tournament of the best eight if she makes it at least into the preliminary round next week.
Nevertheless, Kiki Bertens has it in her own hands to qualify for the WTA final as the first Dutch woman since Brenda Schultz-McCarthy (1997). If she reaches at least the semi-finals of the “Kremlin Cup”, she is sure to make it to Singapore. If she took part in the semi-finals in the Russian capital, she would have 3865 points – and would thus displace Svitolina.
Elina Svitolina would be in Singapore if…- either ONLY Pliskova or ONLY Bertens reached the semi-finals of Moscow. Or neither of them.