Former U.S. Open champ Stephens qualifies for first WTA finals

[October 15, 2018]    SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens has qualified for her first season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore, the WTA Tour said on Monday.

Sloane Stephens of the U.S in action against Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Stephens joins fellow Grand Slam champions Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, Naomi Osaka, Petra Kvitova and Caroline Wozniacki in the singles field for the Oct. 21-28 event.

Two spots remain open for the elite eight-player field, with Elina Svitolina and Karolina Pliskova in prime position to qualify for the round-robin tournament that offers $7 million in prize money.

"I'm honored to qualify for my first WTA Finals," said Stephens, who was runner-up to Halep at Roland Garros earlier this year. "I'm looking forward to ... competing against the best players of the season."

The American also won her first Premier-level event in Miami earlier this year and rose to a career-high ranking of three in July. The 25-year-old was also a runner-up in Montreal.

Stephens won her first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows in 2017 but was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Anastasija Sevastova this year.

Osaka won the U.S. Open, while Kerber won Wimbledon and Wozniacki clinched the Australian Open title this year.

(Reporting by Greg Stutchbury in Wellington; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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