ST
PETERSBURG, Florida /PRNewswire/ --
Season-long Road to Singapore enters
final weeks as player field takes shape
The
Women's Tennis Association (WTA) announced today that World No. 1
and US Open champion, Serena
Williams, and World No. 4, Maria
Sharapova, have qualified for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals
Singapore presented by SC Global, staged at the Singapore SportsHub
from October
17-26.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140811/700750 )
"The
WTA Finals is the ultimate goal of the season and I am excited to
be back for another year and defend my title," said Williams.
"I am looking forward to going to Singapore and
competing against the best players in the world." The
32-year-old American is the current WTA World No.1; Williams has
held the top ranking since February 18,
2013.
Set to
return to the WTA Finals for the ninth time in her career (2001-02,
2004, 2007-09, 2012-14), Williams has raised the Billie Jean King
Trophy in her last three WTA Finals appearances (2009, 2012-13) and
on her debut in 2001. She also boasts two runner-up finishes (2002,
2004).
27-year-old Russian, Maria
Sharapova, won three titles this year, highlighted by a
stellar clay-court season in which she posted a 19-1 match record
en route to titles at the Porsche Grand Prix (Stuttgart),
Mutua Madrid Open and Roland Garros, her fifth career Grand Slam
title. This season marks the 12th consecutive year that Sharapova
has won at least one singles title, a streak that dates back to
2003 and currently stands as the fourth best in WTA history. She is
set to return to the WTA Finals for the first time since 2012, and
is a former champion, having won the event on her debut in 2004 and
finished runner-up in 2007 and 2012.
"I am
really excited to qualify for the WTA Finals and to bring the best
in women's tennis to Singapore,"
said Sharapova.
The
2014 WTA Finals will feature the Top 8 singles players competing in
a round-robin event. For the latest Road to Singapore Leaderboard
as of Monday,
September 8, visit http://wtatennis.com.
For
more information, log on to the WTA Finals website http://www.WTAFinals.com,
Twitter (@WTAFinalsSG) and Facebook
(facebook.com/WTAFinalsSG).
General public tickets can be purchased through Sports Hub
Tix wtafinals.sportshubtix.sg.