新老美网冠军同场竞技 名将新秀逐鹿珠海
【2017年10月25日 珠海】 2017横琴人寿珠海WTA超级精英赛开赛在即，今日赛会宣布12位单打明星阵容全部揭晓：除此前宣布入围的美网新科冠军斯蒂芬斯、俄罗斯红粉帕芙柳琴科娃、维斯尼娜、拉脱维亚好手塞瓦斯托娃及外卡选手彭帅外，2016澳网和美网双料冠军、前世界第一科贝尔携德国同胞格尔格斯、 法国女将梅拉德诺维奇、美国后起之秀范德维格、澳大利亚新星巴蒂、捷克名将斯特里科娃、斯洛伐克好手莱巴里科娃齐齐入围，中国选手张帅和段莹莹则分列第一替补和第二替补。至此，本届赛事的单打阵容将囊括两位大满贯冠军及多位本赛季实现重大突破的国际女子网坛新星，新秀名将齐聚珠海，精彩对决令人屏息期待。
“我们非常高兴珠海WTA超级精英赛迎来第三届，WTA的许多顶级选手都前来参赛。” WTA主席兼CEO西蒙先生说道，“珠海WTA超级精英赛汇聚了顶级和具有潜力的年轻选手，让我们在珠海庆祝她们2017赛季的优异表现。”
“我们对一周后的比赛感到格外兴奋和期待。”赛事总监加西亚展望即将到来的比赛，难掩激动之情，“入围的球员们都是凭借整个赛季的优异表现从众多好手中脱颖而出，相信前来观赛的球迷们将不虚此行。我也期待与全世界的网球爱好者们共享这一精彩赛事。”
据统计，12位入围选手今年包揽了11项WTA赛事冠军，其中，新老两位美网冠军同时首秀珠海，无疑令珠海横琴国际网球中心更加星光熠熠。新科美网冠军斯蒂芬斯本赛季上演了伤愈复出的奇迹，尽管此前亚洲赛季表现不佳，但却希望在珠海以更好的成绩为自己的2017赛季划上圆满句号；而2016美网冠军科贝尔则头顶2016澳网冠军、2016温网亚军、里约奥运会女单银牌得主、2016年终世界第一等多项殊荣，一直被誉为德国女皇格拉芙的接班人，虽然其本赛季的表现无法与2016赛季比肩，但依然保持了良好稳定的竞技状态，先后闯入蒙特雷决赛及迪拜、东京两站的四强。如今，前后两任美网冠军首度聚首珠海，是否有机会再度上演大满贯级别的强强对话呢？
除了斯蒂芬斯，今年女子网坛还见证了巴蒂、梅拉德诺维奇、范德维格等多位新生力量的崛起。法国新秀梅拉德诺维奇今年上半赛季状态火热，年初便拿下圣彼得堡站冠军，随后又相继在阿卡普尔科、斯图加特和WTA皇冠赛马德里三站斩获亚军。美国后起之秀范德维格和澳大利亚天才少女巴蒂也在赛季末双双创下个人世界排名的新高，分别来到第12位和第20位。前者在今年美网一路过关斩将，先后击败波兰名将A-拉德万斯卡、前法网亚军萨法洛娃及时任世界第一普利斯科娃杀入四强，刷新个人美网最好成绩；后者在年初马来西亚公开赛上勇夺职业生涯单打首冠，并夺得伯明翰和超五赛武汉站两个亚军。
中生代球员也从未停下自我突破的脚步。里约奥运女双铜牌得主、捷克名将斯特里科娃和昔日的德国天才少女格尔格斯日前分别勇夺林茨站和莫斯科站的冠军，双双结束了各自长达六年的女单冠军荒。后者更是凭借这一关键性的胜利搭上了入围珠海的末班车。
珠海WTA超级精英赛创立于2015年，是华南地区级别最高也是最具影响力的国际女子网球赛事。今年的赛事将于10月31日至11月5日举行，12位明星单打球员及6对双打球员将齐聚珠海横琴国际网球中心，为冠军荣誉而战。今年赛事总奖金升至228万美元，单打冠军可获700分世界排名积分。赛事全球形象大使格拉芙也将再次亲临珠海，与广大球迷二度相约。同时，志在传播华南美食文化的“珠海美食节”也将同期在横琴国际网球中心同步呈现，为观众打造不一样的观赛体验。
Player Field for 2017 Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai Announced
• Kristina Mladenovic, CoCo Vandeweghe and Sloane Stephens headline 2017 field
• Singles wildcard awarded to China’s No.1 Peng Shuai
ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced today the player field set to compete in the third annual Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai from October 31 – November 5, 2017 for a total prize money of over $2.2 million.
The year-end event features both singles and doubles, and will be staged in the southern Chinese coastal city of Zhuhai at the custom designed and state-of-the-art Zhuhai Hengqin International Tennis Centre.
Among the prominent list of players who will compete in Zhuhai are two Grand Slam champions, including Sloane Stephens (2017 US Open) and Angelique Kerber (2016 Australian Open and US Open). In addition, Kristina Mladenovic and CoCo Vandeweghe will be making their debut appearances in Zhuhai following their best seasons yet. Between all players competing in Zhuhai this year, they represent 11 WTA singles titles won in 2017.
“We are pleased to welcome the third edition of the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, featuring many of the top athletes on the WTA,” stated Steve Simon, WTA CEO and Chairman. “This signature event showcases top players along with up and coming stars, all joining together and celebrating their successes of the 2017 WTA season.”
“We are excited to have all the players confirmed to compete at the 2017 Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai,” said Tournament Director Jose Miguel Garcia. “After an amazing season of women’s tennis, all the players that have gained their spot to play in Zhuhai are amongst the best players in the world. Great tennis is guaranteed for all the fans coming to Zhuhai and everyone following from home all over the world.”
The Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai’s 12-player singles field consists of players that are the highest-ranked following those that qualified for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, in addition to one wildcard awarded to China’s No.1 ranked player, Peng Shuai. The players will compete in four round robin groups of three, with the winners of each group advancing to the semifinals. The six doubles teams will be split into two round robin groups, with the winner of each advancing to the final.
