ZHUHAI, October 19, 2017 (Press Release)

This year’s US Open champion Sloane Stephens leads the charge to the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai after she qualified for the season-ending event in China, along with in-form Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Elena Vesnina and Anastasija Sevastova.

Play gets underway in Zhuhai on October 31st. There are now seven available spots left in the 12-player field, with China’s No.1 Shuai Peng already confirmed as a wildcard. The complete line-up will be decided on October 24th

“I’m excited to be coming to Zhuhai,” said Stephens. “Qualifying for an elite year-end event is a great reward at the end of what has been an incredible year for me. I can’t wait to compete hard against those other great players and try and end this season on a high.”

Stephens crowned an extraordinary comeback story by lifting the trophy at Flushing Meadows last month in an all-American final against Madison Keys. Stephens spent the early part of the 2017 season with her foot in a cast after surgery and only returned to the WTA Tour in July. This would mark the first time Stephens has qualified for a season-ending tournament.

WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai Tournament Director Jose-Miguel Garcia said: “Sloane’s fairytale US Open captured the world’s imagination and qualifying for Zhuhai is another recognition of her amazing achievement.

“Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has such a great week in Hong Kong so she is finishing the year strongly. Elena and Anastasija have both had outstanding seasons too. We’re thrilled that these four incredibly talented players are coming to Zhuhai.”