PORSCHE RACE TO SHENZHEN UPDATE: HALEP, ANDREESCU EARN WTA FINALS BIDS
There isn’t just one big announcement in the Porsche Race to Shenzhen this week, but two: Simona Halep and Bianca Andreescu have both qualified for the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, joining Ashleigh Barty and Karolina Pliskova in the exclusive, eight-player season-ending event. The announcement was made as play got underway Monday at the China Open. Halep won her opening match at the Premier Mandatory event on Sunday, 6-1, 6-1 over Rebecca Peterson, before losing on Monday to Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-2, 6-3. “It is such an honor to qualify for the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen,” said Halep, who won the second Grand Slam title of her career at Wimbledon this year, with her first coming at last year’s French Open. “It is always a goal of mine each season to qualify and I’m excited to play the event this year. I have been to Shenzhen before so I’m looking forward to being back in front of the great fans there.” Andreescu, who won her first Grand Slam title at the US Open this year, defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich on Monday, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1. “I’m really looking forward to ending the season at the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen,”…