Li Na qualifies for WTA Championships

Beijing, Sep 27 (IANS) The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) confirmed Friday that Li Na has qualified for this year’s WTA Championships to be held in Istanbul from Oct 22-27.

The 31-year-old, winner of 2011 French Open, is the fifth player after Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova and Agnieszka Radwanska to be included in the tournament featuring the top eight singles and top four doubles players in the world, reports Xinhua.

“I feel quite happy about that. After all, only eight players can be part of the event. I received the e-mail yesterday, it could be a prize for my performance this year,” Li said ahead of the China Open Friday.

As the first Chinese player to qualify for singles in 2011, Li has participated in the WTA Championships over the past years in a row.

“Congratulations to Li Na on securing her qualification for the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships – Istanbul for the third year in a row. Her personality and exciting brand of tennis endears her to fans around the world as Li continues to inspire generations of players,” said WTA chairman Stacey Allaster.

This will be the third and final year for Istanbul to host the WTA Championships. The prize money purse has reached a record-high $6 million this year.