World number three Maria Sharapova of Russia and world number four Agnieszka Radwanska have qualified for the prestigious TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships – Istanbul 2013 after accumulating enough ranking points to be part of the elite eight-woman event. The top eight singles players and top four doubles teams will be competing for a lion’s share of the record-setting $6 million prize money at stake at this event which will be staged at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul from October 22 to 27.
“We are excited to add Maria, Agnieszka, Sara and Roberta to the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships – Istanbul player field, although Maria continues to rehab from her injury,” Stacey Allaster, the Chairman & CEO of the WTA, said. “We are less than a month away from the Championships and are eager to continue building towards what will be another sensational tournament for the fans in Istanbul and tennis fans around the world.”
Sharapova has had a remarkable run this season with WTA Premier-level title wins at BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Porsche Cup in Stuttgart. She reached the finals in Miami, Madrid and at the French Open. This is her seventh time to be at the year-end event. She’s a former champion (2004) and a two-time runner up (2007, 2012). It remains to be seen whether she will participate at this event as she’s still recovering from right shoulder bursitis.
Meanwhile, Radwanska has had a fruitful year as well. She won the Premier-event Sydney International last January and won two International events (Auckland, Seoul). This is her third time to be at the WTA Championships. Her best result was a semifinal run a year ago.
In doubles, world number one doubles team Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci have secured their place in the year-end event. They won the Australian Open doubles title in January and won two Premier-level events in Paris and Doha. They reached the final in Sydney, Rome and the French Open.
