Halep pulls out of WTA Finals in Singapore
Bertens gets a spot for first time at eight-woman season finale
World No. 1 Simona Halep pulled out of next week’s WTA Finals due to a lower back injury yesterday, handing first alternate Kiki Bertens a spot at the season-ending eightwoman event in Singapore for the first time.
“The decision was tough for sure,” the 27-year-old Romanian said on her verified Twitter account of an injury sustained during training ahead of the Wuhan Open last month and later diagnosed as a herniated disc.
“It’s always difficult to withdraw from a big tournament. Actually, I think it’s the first time in my life. So it was a tough decision, but it’s better for my health. My back is not OK. I didn’t practice for the last four weeks.”
Halep has enjoyed a stellar season, which saw her reach the Australian Open final before winning her maiden Grand Slam at the French Open.
Despite withdrawing from ■ Singapore, Halep is guaranteed to end 2018 as world No. 1 for the second year in a row.
In her absence, Bertens, who finished ninth in the Race to Singapore standings, will be making her WTA Finals debut in the last version of the tournament in Singapore after a five-year run in Southeast Asia.
Bertens has won three tournaments this season, including a victory over Halep to claim the Cincinnati Masters title. Angelique Kerber, Naomi Osaka, Petra Kvitova, Caroline Wozniacki, Sloane Stephens, Karolina Pliskova and Elina Svitolina have also qualified for the $7 million (Dh25.7 million) event, which will move to Shenzhen next year.