World number two Karolina Pliskova has joined the elite pool of eight players who will comprise the singles draw of the 2019 Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen. After winning the Zhengzhou Open over the weekend, her fourth title this season, the Czech qualified for the prestigious event that offers a record-breaking $14 million in prize money.
Not only has the latest champion’s trophy put Pliskova in the top position when it comes to the number of titles a WTA player has won in 2019, but the former world No.1 has also triumphed at every surface during the season — Brisbane (hard), Rome (clay), Eastbourne (grass), and Zhengzhou (hard). All these four tournaments are Premier, with Rome being Premier 5.
This is the fourth year in a row that Pliskova has qualified for the WTA Finals and it’s the longest active streak on the tour. The 27-year-old also leads in the number of match wins this season, with 49, and continues to dominate the aces leaderboard, with a total of 455 aces hit so far in 2019.
Joining Ashleigh Barty, Pliskova is the second player who has secured her spot in this year’s edition of the exclusive tournament set to take place from October 27 – November 3 in Shenzhen, China. The singles champion will win the Billie Jean King Trophy. (source: WTA)
