Kerber to face WTA first-timers in Singapore draw

Record ID: 84222

  • Title: Kerber to face WTA first-timers in Singapore draw
  • Date: 21st October 2016
  • Summary: ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** KERBER WALKING TO STAGE KERBER GIVING RACKET TO YOUNG TENNIS PLAYER
  • Embargoed: 5th November 2016 13:13
  • Keywords: WTA Finals draw Angelique Kerber
  • Location: SINGAPORE
  • City: SINGAPORE
  • Country: Singapore
  • Topics: Sport,Tennis
  • Reuters ID: LVA00654Y7DXB
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:World number one, German Angelique Kerber is set to face WTA Finals first-timers, American Madison Keys and Slovak Dominika Cibulkova, as well as Romanian Simona Halep after the draw in Singapore on Friday (October 21) night.
    Kerber is guaranteed the year-end number one ranking after Serena Williams pulled out of the $7 million season-ending WTA Finals which starts on Sunday (October 23) with a shoulder injury.
    Organisers have yet to confirm the 8th player for the competition. Briton Johanna Konta will head to Singapore unless Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova wins the title this week in Moscow.
    Kerber said it "doesn't matter" who she is playing against and said she is still absorbing the fact that she's at the top of the game.
    "You know, it was an amazing year for me, and everything that has happened, it's still crazy, I really try to enjoy every single moment, it's something I've always dreamed of so it's really nice to be back here in Singapore and I'm looking forward (to the matches)," she said.
    Kerber, the first left-hander to top the world rankings in almost two decades, remains primarily focused on advancing out of the group stage at the eight-woman WTA Finals for the first time.
    Last year, she only needed to take one set from the already-eliminated Lucie Safarova to reach the semi-finals but struggled to contain her frustration and was easily beaten by the Czech to suffer a third early exit in as many visits.
    RED GROUP
    (1) Angelique Kerber (Germany)
    (3) Simona Halep (Romania)
    (6) Madison Keys (USA)
    (7) Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia)
    WHITE GROUP
    (2) Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland)
    (4) Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic)
    (5) Garbine Muguruza (Spain)
    (8) Konta/Kuznetsova*
    *Johanna Konta (Great Britain) will be No. 8 unless Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) wins the title this week in Moscow. Kuznetsova is playing in the semifinals Friday night, and the final is scheduled for Saturday.
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