Competition: WTA Finals 2016
Date: 23 to 30 October
Venue: SIngapore Indoor Stadium
TV Channel: There is no live TV coverage of 2016 WTA Finals in Singapore.
Overview
The 2016 edition of WTA Finals will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from 23 to 30 October.
The year-ending tournament, which is being held in the Southeast Asian country for the third consecutive year, will see top-ranked Women's singles as well as doubles players fighting for the coveted titles.
Serena Williams announced she will be pulling out of the elite tournament for the second time after missing the 2015 edition well.
The American's absence gives Angelique Kerber, who was crowned the world number one after her title-winning campaigns at 2016 Australian and US Open.
This will be Kerber's fourth WTA Finals appearance and she has been drawn in the Red Group along with Simona Halep, Madison Keys and Dominika Cibulkova. However, the pressure of being the favourite might work against the top seed, who also has a woeful 2-7 record at the year-ender.
Halep, though not being able to win a grand slam in the ongoing season, has won titles at Madrid, Bucharest and Montreal. The world number four, who was also the runner-up of the 2014 edition, will be one of the strong favourite to go past the group stages, which will be played in round-robin format, in the tournament.
On the other hand, both Keys and Cibulkova, who are appearing in their maiden WTA Finals, will want to make a big impact. Notably, the 21-year-old American has had a good year so far winning 46 matches, including a title at Birmingham.
Meanwhile, defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska will headline the White Group, which also has top-ranked stars Karolina Pliskova and Garbine Muguruza. Also, Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova edged past Johanna Konta and joined the three by clinching the Kremlin Cup on Saturday.
Muguruza is the only other player after Kerber in the year-ending tournament to have won a grand slam in 2016. The Spaniard is appearing in her second consecutive WTA Finals following her semi-final appearance on debut.
In the doubles, the onus will be on the Indo-Swiss pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis to defend their title. Notably, the top-ranked doubles stars, who won three grand slam titles together, have joined hands for the year-ender after parting ways in August.
Seeding information
- Angelique Kerber
- Agnieszka Radwanska
- Simona Halep
- Karolina Pliskova
- Garbine Muguruza
- Madison Keys
- Dominika Cibulkova
- Svetlana Kuznetsova
Draws
Red Group
Angelique Kerber
Simona Halep
Madison Keys
Dominika Cibulkova
White Group
Agnieszka Radwanska
Karolina Pliskova
Garbine Muguruza
Svetlana Kuznetsova
