Kerber joins Halep in next month’s WTA Finals Singapore, Latest Tennis News - The New Paper
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Kerber joins Halep in next month’s WTA Finals Singapore

Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber will return to the Singapore Indoor Stadium for next month's BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

The 30-year-old German is the second of eight singles players to qualify for the Oct 21-28 showpiece here.

She will join world No. 1 Simona Halep, who booked her spot last month.

Kerber, a former world No. 1, clinched her third Grand Slam crown at Wimbledon this year by beating American star Serena Williams in the final at the All England Club.

Her first two titles came at the Australian Open and US Open, both in 2016.

"I am honoured to qualify for the WTA Finals in Singapore this year," she said.

She topped the world rankings for 18 weeks last year .

But her form dipped and she ended the 2017 season ranked world No. 21 in singles.

After a resurgent year that saw her win her third Grand Slam title, she is now ranked third in the world.

Besides her Wimbledon victory, she also triumphed at the Sydney International in January.

She said: "I have many memories of competing in Singapore, especially reaching the final in 2016 (when she lost to Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova).

"I'm excited to be back and (playing) in front of the amazing fans."

It is her fifth appearance at the season-ending tournament, which features the world's top eight singles players and doubles pairs.

The 2016 runner-up previously qualified for the 2012 and 2013 editions of the WTA Finals in Istanbul and also featured in the 2015 tournament in Singapore.

This is the last year that the tournament will be staged in the Republic, before it moves to Shenzhen, China.

Dane Caroline Wozniacki won last year's edition, beating Venus Williams in the final.

Tickets are available at www.wtafinals.com.

- NICOLE CHIA