No. 1 Simona Halep has withdrawn from the WTA Finals because of a lower back injury.
Her withdrawal means Kiki Bertens has qualified for the final spot, joining Angelique Kerber, Naomi Osaka, Petra Kvitova, Caroline Wozniacki, Sloane Stephens, Karolina Pliskova and Elina Svitolina in Singapore for the $7 million year-end tournament, which begins Sunday.
“I wanted to finish 2018 on a high after such an incredible year, but sadly my back injury hasn’t healed the way we hoped it would and I need to put my long-term health first,” Halep said in a statement.
Halep clinched the year-end top ranking on Monday.