Daria Kasatkina faces stiff opposition from a former grand slam finalist and a home favourite in her group at the upcoming Elite Trophy.
The draw took place for the fourth edition of the event on Monday, which is the last in the WTA Calendar this season. 12 players ranked outside of the world’s top eight will battle it out in a round robin format. Similar to that of last week’s WTA Finals, which was won by Elina Svitolina. In this year’s field, seventh seed Garbine Muguruza is the only player to have previously won a grand slam title. Meanwhile, defending champion Julia Goerges will be hoping to become the first player to win the title for a second consecutive year.
“I think it’s a great opportunity being back here again,” Goerges said during her pre-tournament press conference. “For me, it means that I’ve had a consistent year, which always, like, is the case to be a top player, to be consistent throughout the year.
“For me, it doesn’t really feel pressured or something, or mentally anything special. It’s just like coming back here to get all these great memories in, which I had last year winning my biggest title of the career. I think that’s what it’s all about.”
A total of four groups will feature in the tournament with the winner of each group progressing to the semi-finals. Kasatkina has been drawn in the same group as Madison Keys and Wang Qiang. The 21-year-old has recently won her second WTA title at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. She has a winning head-to-head record against Qiang, but is yet to defeat Keys on the tour.
Second seed Anastasija Sevastova heads the Camella Group. The Latvian won the Bucharest Open in July and has recorded four wins over top 10 opposition this season. She has been drawn in the same group as two-time grand slam champion Garbine Muguruza and wild card entrant Zhang Shuai.
“It’s exciting because I’ve never been here in Zhuhai – it’s a different format,” Muguruza told reporters in China.
“Yeah, I think there’s plenty of reasons to be happy to be playing here and hopefully get a good win and finish the year with a good taste.”
Rising star Aryna Sabalenka will face Caroline Garcia and Ash Barty as she aims to end her breakthrough season on a high. The 20-year-old has won two Premier titles since August and is currently ranked 12th in the world. One place off her personal best.
Finally, defending champion Goerges has been drawn to play Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit and Elise Mertens. Should she win the tournament, it will be the first time in her career she has won three WTA titles within the same season.
The Elite Trophy will get underway on Tuesday at the Hengqin Tennis Center.
Overview of participating players
|
Player |
Ranking (as of 29/10) |
Titles won in 2018 |
| Daria Kasatkina RUS |
10 |
1 – Moscow |
| Anastasija Sevastova LAT |
11 |
1 – Bucharest |
| Aryna Sabalenka BLR |
12 |
2 – New Haven and Wuhan |
| Julia Goerges GER |
14 |
2 – Auckland and Luxembourg |
| Madison Keys USA |
16 |
0 |
| Garbine Muguruza ESP |
17 |
1 – Monterrey |
| Caroline Garcia FRA |
18 |
1 – Tianjin |
| Ash Barty AUS |
19 |
1 – Nottingham |
| Anett Kontaveit EST |
20 |
2 – Andrezieux-Boutheon (ITF $60,000) and s-Hertogenbosch |
| Wang Qiang CHN |
22 |
2 – Nanchang and Guangzhou |
| Elise Mertens BEL |
13 |
3 – Hobart, Lugano and Rabat |
| Zhang Shuai CHN |
33 |
0 |
ROUND-ROBIN DRAW (via wtatennis.com)
AZALEA
[1] D. Kasatkina (RUS) vs. [6] M. Keys (USA)
[1] D. Kasatkina (RUS) vs. [11] Q. Wang (CHN)
[6] M. Keys (USA) vs. [11] Q. Wang (CHN)
CAMELLIA
[2] A. Sevastova (LAT) vs. [7] G. Muguruza (ESP)
[2] A. Sevastova (LAT) vs. [12] [WC] S. Zhang (CHN)
[7] G. Muguruza (ESP) vs. [12] [WC] S. Zhang (CHN)
ORCHID
[3] A. Sabalenka (BLR) vs. [8] C. Garcia (FRA)
[3] A. Sabalenka (BLR) vs. [9] A. Barty (AUS)
[8] C. Garcia (FRA) vs. [9] A. Barty (AUS)
ROSE
[4] E. Mertens (BEL) vs. [5] J. Goerges (GER)
[4] E. Mertens (BEL) vs. [10] A. Kontaveit (EST)
[5] J. Goerges (GER) vs. [10] A. Kontaveit (EST)
