Doubles Pair Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic Qualify for 2018 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore
· Australian Open doubles champions set to return to WTA Finals for second time as a team
· Babos returns to Singapore as defending champion for her fourth consecutive appearance
ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced today that the doubles pairing of Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic have become the second team to qualify for the 2018 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, set to take place from October 21-28.
Hungary’s Babos and France’s Mladenovic started the season by capturing their first Grand Slam title as a team at the Australian Open. They lifted their second trophy of the season at the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham and advanced to the final at the Mutua Madrid Open, as well as the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
“It’s an honor to qualify once again for the WTA Finals in Singapore this year,” said Babos. “Winning the title last year was an amazing accomplishment and I’m excited to return this year with Kiki.”
Mladenovic added, “Timea and I have had an incredible year together, from winning our first Grand Slam title as a team to now qualifying for the WTA Finals. We look forward to competing among the best teams of the year. It is a big privilege to be part of this amazing event. We are excited to come back to Singapore and can’t wait to play in front of the great fans again.”
Babos and Mladenovic return to Singapore for the second time competing as a team at the WTA Finals. In 2015, the pair fell in the round-robin stage of the competition.
This will be the fourth consecutive year that Babos will compete in doubles at the WTA Finals. Last year, the Hungarian teamed up with Andrea Sestini Hlaváčková and captured the WTA Finals Martina Navratilova Doubles Trophy, defeating the No.1 seeded team of Latisha Chan and Martina Hingis in the semifinals. Additionally, Babos reached the WTA World No.1 Doubles Ranking in July, becoming the first player from Hungary – male or female – to reach the top spot in singles or doubles.
For Mladenovic, this will be her third WTA Finals appearance in doubles, having reached the semifinals in 2016 partnering compatriot Caroline Garcia. The Frenchwoman also served as a singles alternate last year.
Staged at the Singapore Sports Hub from October 21-28, the 2018 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global is a 10-day tennis festival featuring the world’s best players vying for US$7 million in prize money and two of the most prestigious titles in women’s tennis. The Top 8 singles players will compete in a round-robin format with the winner taking home the Billie Jean King Trophy. The Top 8 doubles teams will compete in a knock-out format for the Martina Navratilova Trophy.
The Porsche Race to Singapore Leaderboard is updated each Monday (every two weeks during Grand Slams events) and can be found at www.WTAFinals.com.
Tickets to the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global are on sale at www.WTAFinals.com, an immersive one-stop destination for all things tournament-related, bringing fans the latest news from the top players on their journey on the Porsche Race to Singapore.
