Wuhan, China: New world No 1 Angelique Kerber is set to strengthen her grip on the top position at a star-studded Wuhan Open this week after Serena Williams pulled out with a shoulder injury.
Kerber, 28, ascended to the top of the rankings at the US Open, ending Williams’ runs of 186 consecutive weeks as world number one — a record she shares with Steffi Graff.
The German looks set to maintain her hold on the number one spot after the veteran American bowed out of the tournament — and the China Open in Beijing the following week — citing an ongoing shoulder problem.
It is the second consecutive year that Williams has been a no show at Wuhan and the China Open.
With Williams staying off the court, the German now has a year-end run as world number one firmly in her sights, capping off a glittering year.
Long established in the top 10, with 10 WTA titles to her name, the 28-year-old had never made it to a Grand Slam final until she swept the crown in Australia at the start of the year.
She then reached the final of Wimbledon, but lost to Williams, before taking a silver medal in Rio.
The German claimed her second Gland Slam title of the year at Flushing Meadows earlier this month in a gritty three-set thriller against Czech Karolina Pliskova.
Wuhan may be the scene for a rematch between Kerber and world number six Pliskova, who are at opposite ends of the draw and could meet in the final.
French Open champion Garbine Muguruza of Spain could also face a quarter-final showdown against Pliskova.
The world number three has not beaten the Czech since 2013. They most recently met in Cincinnati in August, where Pliskova took just one hour to dispatch the Spaniard in two sets in the semi-final.
Meanwhile, Kerber is in the same half of the draw as two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and fourth seed Simona Halep.
Williams is the only player in the top 10 not showing up for the $2.6 million (Dh9.5 million) hardcourt event, which was only added to the WTA calendar in 2014.
Her sister Venus won last year’s tournament, and returns this week to defend her title.
Former world number one Carolina Wozniacki and Olympic gold medallist Monic Pug are also joining the star studded line up.
The Wuhan Open — now in its third year — was established on the back of the success of hometown girl Li Na — a two-time Grand Slam winner and China’s only world number one until her retirement in 2014.
Meanwhile in Tokyo, former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki produced a spirited fightback to beat fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 and reach the Pan Pacific Open final on Saturday.
Awaiting the Dane in Sunday’s Tokyo final will be Japanese teenager Naomi Osaka, who continued her fairytale run with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.
Wozniacki, Pan Pacific champion six years ago, starts favourite as she goes in search of a 24th career title.
But she had to claw her way back from 3-1 down in both the second and third sets against Radwanska, finally ending the Pole’s resistance on her fourth match point by forcing her into a loose forehand she dumped tamely into the net.
At times it wasn’t pretty, but Wozniacki’s gritty display will give her confidence a further lift after battling back from a wretched run of injuries this year to reach the US Open semi-finals earlier this month.
“It’s good to be back,” she told reporters after almost three hours on court.
“It’s always a grind when you’re injured to come back but you have to go with it. My body feels good and it’s nice the hard work is paying off.”
Wozniacki had seen her world ranking plunge to 74th after suffering wrist and ankle trouble, her father even telling a Danish tabloid the 26-year-old could walk away from tennis.
“I was just fighting to get healthy again and that’s that really,” she said, brushing off retirement talk. “I’m in the final here and that’s all I’m thinking about now.”
Despite coughing up the first set on a double fault, Wozniacki showed glimpses of her old form in an error-strewn match featuring 13 breaks of serve.
A whipped crosscourt forehand to take the initiative at 4-3 in the decider left Radwanska shaking her head and a full-blooded backhand drive to consolidate the break in the next game demonstrated why she used to be such a force.
Wozniacki, who carried her nation’s flag at this summer’s Rio Olympics, is looking to maintain her streak of having won a title in every year since 2008.
Osaka reached her first WTA final after recovering from a poor start against Svitolina, smashing her racquet on the court as her opponent ran away with the first set.
But the 18-year-old, born of a Japanese mother and Haitian father, roared back and closed out proceedings with an acrobatic volley down the middle of the court.
