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Five more singles players have yet to be named for the finals,
which will be contested by the world's top eight singles players
and eight doubles teams.
The event is scheduled to kick off on Nov. 8 and was moved to
Guadalajara from Shenzhen earlier this month due to the COVID-19
pandemic, which forced their cancellation last year.
"Lifting the Billie Jean King Trophy in Shenzhen in 2019 is one
of the best moments of my career," said world number one Barty.
"It's a great honor to be among the top eight players in the
world and be the first to qualify for the 2021 WTA Finals."
However, it remains to be seen whether the Australian will
actually defend her title.
Her coach Craig Tyzzer this month expressed doubts about her
participation due to what he called "ridiculous" playing
conditions at the high-altitude venue and the timing of the
tournament, which he said could interfere with her ability to
play at February's Australian Open.
Barty, who suffered a third-round exit at this month's U.S.
Open, is "physically and mentally exhausted," Tyzzer told the
Australian Associated Press.
Sabalenka and Krejcikova will both be making their first
appearance as singles players at the competition although both
have appeared in doubles.
Krejcikova on Monday also learned that she and partner Katerina
Siniakova had qualified for doubles, while the Japanese duo of
Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara also booked their ticket.
The annual showpiece event had a prize purse of $14 million in
2019.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Shri
Navaratnam)
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