Late Moscow win sends Pennetta to Singapore finale

DPA/SingaporeUS Open champion Flavia Pennetta will make her first singles appearance at the WTA Finals next week after qualifying into the field thanks to yesterday's win in Moscow, the WTA confirmed. The 33-year-old Italian becomes the seventh woman to make the field, with one place still being contested between Roland Garros finalist Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic, Swiss Timea Bacsinszky, the French Open semi-finalist, and recent Wuhan winner Venus Williams. “Qualifying for the WTA Finals is a dream come true and the perfect way to end an amazing season for me,” said Pennetta. “It will also be a wonderful way for me to say goodbye to tennis—it’s a spectacular stage to bow out on. Having won the WTA Finals before in doubles, I can’t wait to make my debut in singles.” With world number one Serena Williams choosing not to play in the year-ender, Romanian Simona Halep heads the elite field, which includes Wimbledon finalist Garbine Muguruza of Spain, five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova, double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska. German Angelique Kerber earned a position just hours before Pennetta was confirmed. Pennetta won her first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open, then announced a shock decision to retire. While she seems to have wavered recently in that decision, the Italian, who is engaged to ATP player Fabio Fognini, appears ready to hang up her racquet at some point. It is now believed that Singapore will serve as the last event of her career.