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Angelique Kerber: WTA Elite Trophy can setup 2018 success

By Harry Floyd

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 29: Angelique Kerber of Germany serves to Naomi Osaka of Japan on Day Two of the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 29, 2017 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 29: Angelique Kerber of Germany serves to Naomi Osaka of Japan on Day Two of the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 29, 2017 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Angelique Kerber and Sloane Stephens are among those competing for the WTA Elite Trophy. The former world No. 1 is looking for a strong finish.

Angelique Kerber is among those competing this week at the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.

The end of year WTA event features the top players who did not qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore. Kerber and American Sloane Stephens headline a star studded field.

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Just one year ago, Kerber was on top of women’s singles tennis. Her 2016 WTA Tour featured wins at both the Australian Open and the US Open. The German tennis star reached the world No. 1 ranking and is now in rebuilding mode.

A strong performance in Zhuhai can setup Angelique Kerber for early success in 2018.

Kerber opens play in Zhuhai facing Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia. The German tennis star has a 29-22 singles match record on the year.

She remains in positive spirits and is looking ahead to the 2018 WTA Tour. The former world No. 1 kicks off her run in Zhuhai on Tuesday at the WTA tournament. Looking at their career head-to-head, Kerber and Pavlyuchenkova are knotted at 5-5 against one another. They are sure to entertain tennis fans during their meeting in Zhuhai.

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Elsewhere on the WTA Tour, former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki is the WTA Finals champion. She wins her first ever title at the year-end event, defeating American Venus Williams for the win. Women’s singles tennis is seeing a fantastic mix of young up and comers and veteran talent.

The WTA Elite Trophy event will surely reveal a talented field of players who will all contend for top rankings in the coming year. Players such as Angelique Kerber can look at the year as one of both ups and downs. She has the experience to learn from the roadblocks that she hit on the 2017 WTA tour and should undoubtedly be a top player again next year. Younger players like Sloane Stephens and Kristina Mladenovic round out the field this week. Both have burst onto the scene this year. The 2018 WTA Tour will be here before we know it and it looks to be a stellar continuation of the 2017 tour.

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