· Simona Halep voted WTA Player of the Year, Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova earn WTA Doubles Team of the Year
· Kiki Bertens, Aryna Sabalenka and Serena Williams also receive honors
· Elina Svitolina awarded WTA Jerry Diamond ACES award
WTA NEWS RELEASE – ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced today the winners of the annual WTA Player Awards voted on by members of the media, headlined by WTA Player of the Year, Simona Halep, and WTA Doubles Team of the Year, Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova.
In addition, the WTA Jerry Diamond ACES award was granted to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina. Players were recognized at The Gala Evening at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
The 2018 WTA Player Award winners, as voted by members of the international media:
Player of the Year: Simona Halep (ROU)
· Claimed her maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros
· Has spent 40 weeks as the WTA World No.1 this season, earning the WTA Year-End World No.1 Singles Ranking presented by Dubai Duty Free
· Reached a tour-leading six WTA singles finals, including titles at the Shenzhen Open and Rogers Cup presented by National Bank (Montreal)
· Also reached the championship match at the Australian Open, Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Rome) and Western & Southern Open (Cincinnati)
· Became the first player to qualify for BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, also becoming the only player to qualify for all five editions in Singapore
Click here to read more on the 2018 WTA Player of the Year.
Doubles Team of the Year: Barbora Krejcikova / Katerina Siniakova (CZE/CZE)
· Won back-to-back Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, becoming the first team to do so in 15 years
· The only team to ever win both the girls’ and ladies’ titles at Wimbledon
· Advanced to the championship match at the Miami Open and Shenzhen Open
· Became first team to earn their spot at the WTA Finals
Click here to read more on the 2018 WTA Doubles Team of the Year.
Kiki Bertens
Most Improved Player of the Year: Kiki Bertens (NED)
Player who finished inside the Top 100 and showed significant improvement throughout the 2018 season.
· Clinched the biggest title of her career at the Western & Southern Open (Cincinnati), where she defeated the WTA World No.1 Simona Halep in the final
· Picked up two additional titles this season, at the Volvo Car Open (Charleston) and Korea Open (Seoul)
· Broke into the WTA Top 10 on October 8, 2018, becoming the first Dutchwoman to do so in 22 years
· Earned her first qualification at the 2018 WTA Finals Singapore
Click here to read more on the 2018 WTA Most Improved Player of the Year.
Newcomer of the Year: Aryna Sabalenka (BLR)
Player who made Top 100 debut or notable accomplishments during the 2018 season, and prior to current year, had not played in more than 6 main draw events at tour-level in a single season.
· Won her first WTA singles title at the Connecticut Open (New Haven) before lifting the WTA Premier 5 title at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open
· Cracked the WTA Top 20 and reached a career-high singles ranking of No.11 on October 8, 2018
· Made her best Grand Slam run by reaching the round of 16 at the US Open
· Owns eight wins over Top 10 players this season, the second most on tour
Click here to read more on the 2018 WTA Newcomer of the Year.
Serena Williams
Comeback Player of the Year: Serena Williams (USA)
Player whose ranking previously dropped due to injury or personal reasons and current season’s results helped restore ranking.
· Gave birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian in September 2017, returning to tour in March 2018 at the BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells)
· Reached back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open
· Made the round of 16 at Roland Garros
· Dropped to World No.491 in March and returned to the WTA Top 20 after the US Open, climbing to No.16
Click here to read more on the 2018 WTA Comeback Player of the Year.
Elina Svitolina
WTA Jerry Diamond ACES Award: Elina Svitolina (UKR)
The WTA Jerry Diamond ACES Award is presented to the player who consistently goes above and beyond in promoting the sport of women’s tennis to fans, media, and local communities by performing off-court promotional and charitable activities. The ACES Award was first introduced in 1995, in memory of former WTA CEO Jerry Diamond.
Elina Svitolina has earned the ACES award for the first time in her career. The Ukrainian participated in numerous kid’s clinics, charitable activities and fan friendly events throughout the globe to help bring the game closer to the community.
The awards, presented in person to those recipients in attendance at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, are an exclusive woven crystal platter by Tiffany & Co.
