· Maria Sharapova withdraws from Championships due to right shoulder injury
· Errani qualifies to compete in singles and doubles for second consecutive year
· 2011 WTA Championships title winner Kvitova set to return to Istanbul
· China Open effort key to WTA Championships return for Jankovic
ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced today that Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova, Italy’s Sara Errani and Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic have qualified for this year’s TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships, to be staged at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul, Turkey, from October 22-27, 2013. Kvitova, Errani and Jankovic join a singles line-up that already includes Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska and Li Na.
Additionally, current world No.3 Maria Sharapova announced her withdrawal from the Championships due to a continuing right shoulder injury, which has limited her action in the second half of the season to only one event.
“I am very disappointed that I will not be able to play in the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships this year. The fans in Istanbul have welcomed us each year with such intense passion and warmth, I will sincerely miss the energy and excitement they brought to the year-end tournament. I want to thank Istanbul for being a tremendous host and hope to play in Turkey sometime in the future,” said former WTA No. 1 Maria Sharapova.
The TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships showcases the world’s best women tennis players as the Top 8 singles players and Top 4 doubles teams compete for a record-setting $6 million in prize money and one of the most prestigious titles in women’s tennis. Istanbul is set to host the elite season-ending competition for a triumphant third and final year.
“As we prepare for the third and final set of the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships in Istanbul, I know having Jelena, Petra and Sara in our elite field will provide the passionate fans in Turkey with exciting and inspirational matches,” said WTA Chairman & CEO Stacey Allaster.
Petra Kvitova
Kvitova has won two singles titles this year – Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo) – while finishing as runner-up at the BNP Paribas Katowice Open in Poland and the New Haven Open at Yale in the United States. It is the third straight season the 23 year old has won multiple titles, bringing her career total to 11 as she remains the only woman born in the 1990s to win a Grand Slam title having raised the trophy at 2011 Wimbledon. Set to return to the WTA Championships for the third consecutive year, Kvitova won the title at the 2011 Championships, the first year the event was hosted in Istanbul.
Sara Errani
A four-time finalist in 2013, Errani won her seventh career singles title at Abierto Mexicano TELCEL (Acapulco), while finishing as runner-up three times – Open GDF Suez (Paris), Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and the XXVI Italiacom Open (Palermo). Ranked inside the Top 10 each week since making her Grand Slam singles final debut at 2011 Roland Garros, the Italian also reach the semifinals this year at Mutua Madrid Open, Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Rome) and Roland Garros. The current co-World No.1 in doubles is already set to compete in doubles competition at this year’s event and will returns to the Championships for the second consecutive year to compete in both disciplines.
Jelena Jankovic
A three-time finalist in 2013, Jankovic won her 13th career title at Copa Claro Colsanitas (Bogota), her first title since March 2010. The 28 year old Serbian also finished as runner-up at the Family Circle Cup (Charleston, SC, USA) and China Open (Beijing), both losses coming against world No.1 Serena Williams. With more than 40 match wins for the first time since 2009, Jankovic returned to the Top 10 after the US Open and will move to No.8 on Monday, October 7, 2013, her highest ranking since May 2011. This marks the fifth time Jankovic will be competing at the year-end Championships, highlighted by semifinal appearances in 2008 and 2009; she made her debut at the year-end event in 2007, most recently competing in 2010.
Following two successful, record-breaking editions, Istanbul hosts the Championships for the third and final year in 2013. In 2012, the event attracted more than 73,000 fans during six days of competition, the highest attendance at the year-end event since 2000. Championships broadcast coverage reached 167 countries, and the overall hours produced increased 25 percent, including live matches, match replays, and highlights. Nearly 42 million fans followed the on-court and behind-the-scenes action via WTA social media and digital platforms, leading to a record-setting week for the official WTA website (www.wtatennis.com) with approximately 4.8 million page impressions and nearly 500,000 unique visitors.
Tickets to the 2013 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships-Istanbul are now available for purchase through Biletix, either online at www.biletix.com or at Biletix ticket counters in Turkey, with a special 15 percent discount on offer for fans purchasing tickets using TEB credit cards.
Follow all the latest news about the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships-Istanbul on www.wtachampionships.com, www.facebook.com/WTA, and www.twitter.com/WTA using #WTAChamps.
RACE TO THE TEB BNP PARIBAS WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS-ISTANBUL
(players/teams in bold already qualified – based week for Monday, October 7, 2013)
SINGLES
DOUBLES
PLAYER
POINTS
TEAM POINTS
Serena Williams (USA)
12040
Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) 7615
Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
7676
Hsieh/Peng (TPE/CHN) 6455
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
5890
Petrova/Srebotnik (RUS/SLO) 6155
Li Na (CHN)
5120
Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS) 5971
Petra Kvitova (CZE)
4370
Sara Errani (ITA)
4190
Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
3860
Angelique Kerber (GER)
3505
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
3300
Sloane Stephens (USA) 3185
Roberta Vinci (ITA) 3170
Topics: 10sballs, 10sballs.com, Agnieszka Radwanska, Bnp Paribas, Jelena Jankovic, Li Na, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Sara Errani, Serena Williams, Sports, Tennis, Victoria Azarenka, Wta