The draw for the 2023 WTA Elite Trophy has been relased, featuring four groups of three players who will compete in a round-robin format.
The 2023 WTA Elite Trophy is the second-tier year-end tournament on the WTA Tour, which will consist of 12 singles players in the group stage. The Top 11 players who missed out on qualification for the WTA Finals automatically qualify for this event.
One more player is usually given a wild card into the draw, completing the setup of 12 players. This is the fifth edition of this tournament and the first since 2019. It will be played on outdoor hard courts in Zhuhai, China, at the Zhuhai Hengqin International Tennis Centre.
Azalea Group:
The first group contains former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, who bagged two titles in 2023, and was a runner-up in Zhegnzhou. Participating in this event is optional, and the Czech is also an entrant in doubles at the WTA Finals.
She has a winning record against both Daria Kasatkina and Magda Linette, and even defeated the Russian on Chinese soil in Zhengzhou a few weeks ago. The top-seeded Krejcikova will be the favorite to win the group and qualify for the semifinals.
Camellia Group:
Camellia Group is probably the most-challenging group for all players that will have to fight in it. The second-seeded Madison Keys leads it, but her two opponents will certainly present a real challenge.
The eighth-seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia joins her in that group, and the third player is the ninth-seeded Caroline Garcia, who is actually the defending champion at the WTA Finals, but didn't qualify for them.
Orchid Group:
Another group of players that could challenge for the title meets in the Orchid Group. Another former Roland Garros champion, Jelena Ostapenko, leads it as the third seed, and she'll be joined by recent Asian Games champion, the seventh-seeded Qinwen Zheng, who will be hoping to get a lot of support from the home crowd.
The third player joining this group is the tenth-seeded Donna Vekic from Croatia, who will want to cause a couple of upsets and get her spot in the semifinals.
Rose Group:
The fourth-seeded Liudmila Samsonova and the fifth-seeded Veronika Kudermetova will meet in the Rose Group, and they will be joined by the only wild card at the tournament, the 12th-seeded Lin Zhu from China.
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