News Release FANS SELECT PARTICIPANTS FOR INAUGURAL WTA RISING STARS

News Release
Wednesday, October 9, 2014
FANS SELECT PARTICIPANTS FOR INAUGURAL WTA RISING STARS
INVITATIONAL AT BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALS SINGAPORE
PRESENTED BY SC GLOBAL
 Zarina Diyas and Zheng Saisai chosen to represent Asia-Pacific group
 Monica Puig and Shelby Rogers voted on to Rest of World group
 Nearly 700,000 votes tallied from fans representing 140 countries
ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA –The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced today the four participants in the
inaugural WTA Rising Stars Invitational, which will be hosted during the 2014 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore
presented by SC Global, from October 17-21 - Monica Puig and Shelby Rogers will represent the Rest of World group,
while Zarina Diyas and Zheng Saisai have been chosen from the Asia-Pacific group. The WTA Rising Stars Invitational will
be hosted at the Singapore Sports Hub, the same venue as the WTA Finals.
The selection of the four finalists resulted from a worldwide fan vote on the official website of the WTA Finals,
WTAFinals.com. The 21 eligible players were divided into two groups – Asia-Pacific and Rest of World – and during a fiveweek period, fans had the opportunity for vote for their favorite WTA Rising Star. A total of 692,182 votes were registered
from 346,091 fans, representing 140 different countries.
"We’re excited to showcase the next generation of talent at the WTA Rising Stars Invitational at the BNP Paribas WTA
Finals Singapore,” said WTA Chairman & CEO, Stacey Allaster. "We wanted to hear from our fans and the response was
terrific. It shows that our players continue to have a strong connection with fans around the world.”
DIYAS LEAPS MORE THAN 125 RANKING SPOTS IN 2014
Currently ranked a career-high of No. 37, Diyas has risen more than 125 places from her 2013 year-end ranking. The
Kazakhstan native advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon and reached the third round at the Australian Open and
US Open. A two-time quarterfinalist this year, Diyas also reached the singles final at three ITF Circuit events, winning one
title.
PUERTO RICAN CAPTURES FIRST WTA TITLE
The 21-year-old Puig won the first WTA singles tournament of her career in 2014, hoisting the trophy at Internationaux de
Strasbourg without dropping a set, to become the first player representing Puerto Rico to win a WTA tournament .
Puig reached a career-high ranking of No. 41 earlier this year, and also advanced to the quarterfinals at the Guangzhou
International Women’s Open and the Abierto Monterrey.
AMERICAN ENJOYING CAREER-BEST SEASON
American Shelby Rogers has enjoyed a successful 2014, achieving a career-high ranking of No.70 earlier this year. In July,
she reached her first career singles final at the Nürnberger Gastein (Bad Gastein) by advancing through qualifying and
defeating two Top 20 opponents (No.16 Carla Suarez Navarro and No. 14 Sara Errani). The 21-year-old also reached the
semifinals at the Coupe Banque National (Quebec City) and the third round of the Rogers Cup (Montreal), defeating
hometown hero and then-World No. 8 Eugenie Bouchard in the second round.
CHINESE RISING STAR CONTINUES ASCENT WITH SOLID SHOWING IN ASIA
Zheng has produced a solid 2014 season, highlighted by making her Grand Slam main draw singles debut at the US
Open, where she advanced to the second round. A doubles semifinalist at the 2013 Australian Open, Zheng has also
advanced to the quarterfinals in her last two tournaments (Hong Kong, WTA/125k Suzhou) and made a semifinal
appearance at the WTA 125k Series event, the Jiangxi Open (Nanchang).
The 2014 WTA Finals will feature the Top 8 singles players in the world competing in a round-robin event, and Top 8
doubles teams competing in a single-elimination draw. Tickets for the general public start at S$16.90 and can be
purchased through Sports Hub Tix wtafinals.sportshubtix.sg, the official ticketing partner of the 2014 BNP Paribas WTA
Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Log on to the WTA Finals website www.WTAFinals.com for more information
and follow on Twitter (@WTAFinalsSG) and Facebook (facebook.com/WTAFinalsSG).
WTA RISING STARS INVITATIONAL FINAL FAN VOTE RESULTS
REST OF WORLD
Monica Puig (PUR)
Shelby Rogers (USA)
Christina McHale (USA)
Lauren Davis (USA)
Elina Svitolina (UKR)
Jovana Jaksic (SRB)
Madison Keys (USA)
Grace Min (USA)
CoCo Vandeweghe (USA)
PCT
20.65%
16.47%
15.65%
8.07%
7.09%
4.56%
4.18%
3.18%
2.14%
ASIA-PACIFIC
Zheng Saisai (CHN)
Zarina Diyas (KAZ)
Kurumi Nara (JPN)
Naomi Osaka (JPN)
Yulia Putintseva (KAZ)
Hiroko Kuwata (JPN)
Luksika Kumkhum (THA)
Nicha Lertpitaksinchai (THA)
Misa Eguchi (JPN)
Sachie Ishizu (JPN)
PCT
17.72%
15.74%
11.93%
8.18%
6.13%
4.88%
4.74%
4.62%
4.61%
4.15%
* Belinda Bencic (Rest of World) and Olivia Rogowska (Asia-Pacific) withdrew with due to scheduling conflicts
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kevin Fischer, WTA, [email protected], +1.727.502.1259
Darren Lai, Fast Track + 65 8222 7602, [email protected]
About WTA:
The WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sport with more than 2,500 players representing 92 nations competing for a record $118 million
in prize money at the WTA’s 54 events and four Grand Slams in 33 countries. Close to 5.4 million people attended women’s tennis events in 2013 with
millions more watching on television and digital channels around the world. The 2014 WTA competitive season concludes with the BNP Paribas WTA
Finals Singapore presented by SC Global October 17-26, 2014 and the Garanti Koza Tournament of Champions in Sofia, Bulgaria, October 28-November
2, 2014. Further information on the WTA can be found at www.wtatennis.com; facebook.com/WTA and twitter.com/WTA.
About World Sport Group:
World Sport Group (WSG) is Asia’s largest sports marketing, media and event management company. The Group is involved in delivering almost 600
sporting events annually and more than 5,000 hours of sport programming across more than 30 countries in the region. WSG is the exclusive
marketing, media and event partner to the region’s leading sporting bodies, major events, sporting venues, athletes, sponsors and broadcasters.
WSG’s parent company, Lagardère, is a world-class diversified media group (Book and e-Publishing; Travel Retail and Distribution; Press, Audiovisual,
Digital and Advertising Sales Brokerage; Sports and Entertainment). Lagardère shares are listed on Euronext Paris.
www.wsgworld.com