Stage set for WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai

World
Europe

02:12

This year's WTA Elite Trophy is set to get underway in Zhuhai later today. The fourth edition of the tournament will feature the 11 highest ranked players outside the top eight who didn't qualify for the finals in Singapore and one wildcard entry.

Twelve players will compete in four round-robin groups of three, with the winners advancing to the semi-finals. China's number one, Wang Qiang, who is seeded 11th, is set to face top seed Daria Kasatkina and the 6th seeded Madison Keys in the group called Azalea.

China's Zhang Shuai poses for the photographers at a party ahead of the WTA Elite Trophy event in Zhuhai, south China. /VCG Photo

Zhang Shuai is a wildcard for the tournament, and she will play second seed Anastasija Sevastova and former world number one Garbine Muguruza in the Group called Camellia.

World No. 41 Shuai said, “I think I can see myself improving more or less over each event, starting with Hiroshima and up until Hong Kong.”

“I kept playing all the matches, and I could feel that I was becoming better and better in every single one. So, I'm happy, and I want to improve further,” she added.

Last year's winner Julia Goerges comes back to defend her title hoping to claim the 700 ranking points which will make a massive difference when next season's first major, the Australian Open, begins.

Only two in that bracket are set to miss out- 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

All the 12 participating players at the party on the eve of the opening day of the WTA Elite Trophy event in Zhuhai, south China /VCG Photo

Meanwhile, third seed Aryna Sabalenka will compete against Caroline Garcia and Ashleigh Barty in the Orchid group. The Group Rose sees fourth seed Elise Mertens facing defending champion Goerges and Wuhan Open runners-up Anett Kontaveit. Interestingly, all the groups are named after flowers.

The tournament has brought extra tourism to the south China city of Zhuhai since it landed there in 2015. It will host two more editions, up until 2019. Venus Williams came out on top in the inaugural tournament which was won by Petra Kvitova the following year and then most recently Gorges.