LADIES TENNIS NEWS AS GARBINE MUGURUZA QUALIFIES FOR 2016 WTA FINALS IN SINGAPORE

Written by: Staff on 15th October 2016

Pan Pacific Open women's tennis tournament

LADIES TENNIS NEWS AS GARBINE MUGURUZA QUALIFIES FOR 2016 WTA FINALS IN SINGAPORE

epa05551752 Garbine Muguruza of Spain shouts after scoring a point against Anastasia Sevastova of Latvia at a singles second round match of the Pan Pacific Open women's tennis tournament in Tokyo, Japan, 22 September 2016. EPA/KIMIMASA MAYAMA |

Garbiñe Muguruza Qualifies for 2016 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global

– Muguruza to make second appearance at WTA Finals in singles field

– The Spaniard is the sixth player to qualify, with two more spots to be determined

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced today that Garbiñe Muguruza has secured her spot at this year’s BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The year-end event brings together the top 8 singles players and doubles teams to compete for $7 million in prize money.

Muguruza is set to make her third consecutive appearance at the WTA Finals in Singapore, having qualified in the doubles field in 2014 with compatriot Carla Suárez Navarro and in both singles and doubles in 2015.

Last year, the Spaniard went 3-0 in the round-robin stage of the singles competition, falling to eventual champion Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals. She also reached the final in doubles with Suárez Navarro. The 23-year-old joins Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska, Simona Halep and Karolina Pliskova in the singles field.

“Congratulations to Garbiñe on qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global,” said WTA CEO Steve Simon. “Her fantastic year has solidified her among the eight best players in the world. Last year, she had a fantastic WTA Finals – going undefeated in the tough Round Robin stage – and we are excited to welcome her back to Singapore.”

After a breakout season in 2015, Muguruza kept the momentum rolling into 2016, clinching the biggest title of her career at Roland Garros – highlighted by her win over then World No.1 Serena Williams in the final. The Spaniard became the youngest first-time Grand Slam champion (22 years, 7 months) since Victoria Azarenka won the 2012 Australian Open aged 22 years, 6 months.

Other season highlights include two semifinal appearances at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia – Rome and the Western & Southern Open – Cincinnati, and three quarterfinal runs at the Qatar Total Open – Doha, Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – Stuttgart and the Toray Pan Pacific Open – Tokyo.

“I am very excited to come back to the WTA Finals in Singapore,” said Muguruza. “Two years ago I made it in doubles, and this will be my second year in a row playing singles – both times I had a great experience and am happy to be going back. There are still matches to be played before the Finals, so I want to keep going here in Linz.”

The current Road to Singapore Leaderboard as follows (as of October 10, 2016):

Staged at the Singapore Sports Hub from October 23-30, the 2016 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 WTA Finals Martina Navratilova Trophy.

The BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global made its record-breaking Asia-Pacific debut in 2014 and has seen continual growth each year. In 2015, more than 130,000 fans representing 51 countries attended the event, and the on-court action was viewed by over 32.5 million households worldwide during the festival of sport and entertainment.

In 2016, an exciting Family Day along with new ticket packages have been introduced to further enhance the fan experience, offering engaging activities both on and off the court. Passes and packages are now available on the WTA Finals website at www.WTAFinals.com. For the latest updates and insights, follow Twitter (@WTAFinalsSG), Facebook (facebook.com/WTAFinalsSG) and Instagram

Topics: Garbine Muguruza, Tennis News, Wta, WTA Finals Singapore