WTA Finals: US Open champ Andreescu faces Halep for 1st time
SHENZHEN, China (AP) — U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu and Wimbledon winner Simona Halep will meet for the first time at the season-ending WTA Finals at Shenzhen.
In the draw on Friday, the fourth-seeded Andreescu will play No. 5 Halep on Monday in the Purple Group. The group includes No. 2 Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic and eighth-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.
“Simona, I’ve never played her, but I’ve looked up to her,” Andreescu said. “It’ll be a really interesting matchup, so I’m excited.”
Svitolina is the defending champion.
The Red Group is led by French Open champion Ash Barty (No. 1) and Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka (3), Czech Petra Kvitova (6) and Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic (7). Kvitova won the event in 2011.
Play begins Sunday with Osaka vs. Kvitova and Barty vs. Bencic.
“I played Svitolina and Pliskova once this year, so I kind of know what to expect,” Andreescu said.
The WTA Finals, which ended its five-year stay in Singapore last season, starts a 10-year run in Shenzhen.
