Former world number one Simona Halep’s chase for a maiden Billie Jean King trophy will continue this year after successfully booking a hard-fought spot at the year-end WTA Finals Shenzhen for the sixth consecutive year. Halep is the player with the longest active streak of being in the top-10, proving her longevity after entering that elite batch back in 2014 and never leaving there since.
Starting the year as the world number one, it was another relatively good season for the Romanian as she lifted her third Major title at Wimbledon on grass, which was her least preferred surface. It came off as a huge surprise, considering how dominant she was en route her path to the Venus Rosewater Dish, beating the legendary Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2 in the final.
Eight quarterfinals allowed Halep to consolidate her spot in the top-five throughout the majority of the year, although she is experiencing some form of deja vu after sustaining a back injury during the Asian swing once again. Last year, the same injury forced her out of the Singapore finals, but this time she would hope to compete in Shenzhen alongside the other top players.
Heading into Shenzhen under an injury cloud and in some lacklustre form, Halep will hope to find some momentum before heading to pursue the biggest paycheck in tennis.