Venus Williams tops the bill at the WTA Elte Trophy in the Chinese city of Zhuhai, where the singles draw took place during a ceremony open to public.
Eleven of the twelve players who will play in the first edition of this tournament attended the draw ceremony. The WTA Elite Trophy is the last tournament of the year. The tournament which offers $ 2.15 million in prize money and 700 champion points will be held in Hengqin International Tennis Centre.
Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, who won two tournaments in Auckland and Wuhan in 2015, has been drawn in the Group A with this year’s Australian Open semifinalist Madison Keys and Chinese wild-card Zheng Saisai.
The Group B features Carla Suarez Navarro, who reached the final in the doubles with Garbine Muguruza at the WTA Finals in Singapore, Elina Svitolina and 2014 Roland Garros semifinalist and this year’s Antwerp champion Andrea Petkovic, the last winner of the Tournament of Champions which has been replaced by the WTA Elite Trophy this year.
Karolina Pliskova, winner in Prague and runner-up in Sydney, Dubai, Birmingham and Stanford this year, will play in Group C against 2015 Guangzhou and Honk Kong champion Jelena Jankovic and 2012 Roland Garros finalist and this year’s Rio de Janiero champion Sara Errani.
US Open finalist Roberta Vinci will face this year’s Kremlin Cup champion and twice Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova and former number 1 Caroline Wozniacki, who won in Kuala Lumpur this year.
The winner of the Group A will face the first place of the Group B in the semifinal. The other semifinal will be played between the winners of the Group C and the Group D.
