THE RACE IS ON FOR KONTA, SUAREZ NAVARRO AND KUZNETSOVA AS SERENA WILLIAMS WITHDRAWS FROM WTA TENNIS FINALS IN SINGAPORE

Written by: Staff on 17th October 2016

THE RACE IS ON FOR KONTA, SUAREZ NAVARRO AND KUZNETSOVA AS SERENA WILLIAMS WITHDRAWS FROM WTA TENNIS FINALS IN SINGAPORE

epa05577870 Johanna Konta of Great Britain in action during her women's singles final match against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland for the China Open tennis tournament at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, China 09 October 2016. EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA |

- The five-time WTA Finals champion provides message to fans after announcing her shoulder injury requires further treatment

- Chance opens for trio Konta, Suárez Navarro and Kuznetsova, with latter two competing for Moscow title this coming week

World No.2 Serena Williams will not take part at the WTA Finals in Singapore after receiving medical advice regarding a troublesome shoulder injury.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion, 35, made the announcement late on Sunday after missing recent tournaments in Wuhan and Beijing due to the injury.

“I was looking forward to competing in Singapore this year and playing against the best players in the world,” said Williams. “However, I have received disappointing news from my doctor that I must undergo a series of medical treatments for my shoulder and will be off the court for the next several weeks.

“I will miss coming to Singapore for the year-end Finals and playing in front of my fans but truly hope to be back soon.”

Serena Williams of the US hits a return to Ekaterina Makarova of Russia on the second day of the US Open Tennis Championships at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 30 August 2016. The US Open runs through September 11. EPA/JASON SZENES

Williams has participated in eight tournaments this season, winning two titles, Wimbledon and Internazionali BNL d’Italia – Rome.

Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska, Karolina Pliskova, Garbiñe Muguruza, Madison Keys and Dominika Cibulkova have already qualified for the tournament, which starts on October 23 and ends on October 30.

The withdrawal of Serena Williams has opened up the eighth qualification spot for the Singapore event, now providing chances to Britain’s Johanna Konta, Spain’s Carla Suárez Navarro and Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova. Either Suárez Navarro or Kuznetsova must win the title in Moscow at the VTB Kremlin Cup next week in order to edge out Konta for the eighth and final qualifying spot.

Steve Simon, WTA CEO stated, “We’re as disappointed as the fans not to see Serena finish her season in Singapore. We wish her a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing her back competing, fit and healthy. The race now intensifies this week as players fight for the remaining berth. Fans can expect an exciting WTA Finals this year, with reigning champion, Aga Radwanska, defending her title and our World No.1, Angie Kerber, seeking to consolidate her outstanding season with a victory in Singapore.”

Click here to see Serena Williams’ video message to her fans regarding her statement.