Mumbai : Champions Tennis League (CTL) is pleased to announce that one of our star players, reigning US Open singles champion Flavia Pennetta, has successfully qualified for the WTA Finals in Singapore.  The WTA Finals is often referred to as the crown jewel of the WTA tour where only the top 8 players of the calendar year get to participate.  Pennetta was the 7th player to qualify and her landmark year continues to get better.  Though Pennetta has played and won the WTA Finals before, this is the first time she has qualified as a singles player.

Flavia Pennetta won her first WTA Singles title in 2004 and her latest title is the US Open title.  Her longevity in the game is a testament to her professionalism, discipline, determination, drive to succeed and fitness.  Though she has enjoyed considerable success in doubles, she can’t be referred to as a doubles specialist.  She kept plodding away in singles till she cracked the code and won a couple of the major titles.  Among her 11 singles titles, the first big victory was the Indian Wells title in 2014 where she beat top seeds Li Na and Agnieszka Radwanska en route to lifting the trophy.  Pennetta is among those players who have been playing their best tennis in their 30s.  Pennetta is a supremely fit athlete and possesses one of the best backhands on tour.

The biggest title of Pennetta’s career is no doubt winning the US Open singles title this year.  At this year’s US Open, Pennetta flew under the radar with the huge focus on Serena Williams and her pursuit of the calendar Grand Slam.  She had as tough a draw as there could be.  But Pennetta came through it all with stunning wins over 4th seed Petra Kvitova and 2nd seed Simona Halep in the quarter finals and semi finals respectively.  In a gripping final against fellow Italian competitor, Roberta Vinci, Pennetta played sublime tennis to win her first richly deserved Grand Slam singles title.  At the post-match ceremony, Pennetta dropped a bombshell announcing her retirement, leaving the tennis world in utter shock. Probably, there could be no better or more dramatic way to sign off.   Pennetta will play through the end of the season.

Flavia Pennetta has always excelled in a team setting.  She was World No.1 doubles player in 2011.  She won the 2011 Australian Open doubles title with Gisela Dulko of Argentina.  She has been remarkably consistent in doubles, winning 17 titles on the WTA tour, including the prestigious WTA Finals in 2010.  She has made it to 3 Grand Slam finals in doubles. Pennetta has also led Italy to 4 Fed Cup titles thriving in the team atmosphere.

No doubt one of the biggest stars in Season 2 of CTL, Flavia Pennetta will be part of a strong Mumbai Tennis Masters squad featuring former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek, Andreas Seppi and the recently crowned National Champion Sriram Balaji.  Pennetta’s previous success in a team setting can prove to be a huge asset for the Mumbai Tennis Masters.  Indian tennis fans get the rare opportunity of seeing a current Grand Slam Champion, of Pennetta’s calibre, in action during CTL 2015.

Speaking on Pennetta’s achievement, Vijay Amritraj, Managing Director Second Serve Pvt. Ltd. and Chairman, Champions Tennis League said, “Qualifying to the WTA Finals is an incredible accomplishment, as only the top 8 players get a chance to compete.  It is a testament to Flavia Pennetta’s consistency throughout the year.  I wish her the very best for the prestigious tournament in Singapore.  We are delighted that we have one of the best WTA players in the world and the reigning US Open Champion as a part of CTL 2015.  Indian tennis fans are in for a treat when she plays for the Mumbai Tennis Masters.  I look forward to watching her bring her best form to the court.”

Speaking about her year and coming to play in CTL, Flavia Pennetta said, “2015 has been a landmark year and the highlight for me was winning the US Open.  I am extremely happy that the success has continued and I have managed to qualify for the WTA Finals in Singapore, which features the best 8 players in the world.  Post Singapore, I will be playing in the Champions Tennis League for the Mumbai Tennis Masters.  I am excited to be playing in India and visiting different cities.  The team format of the competition appeals to me and it will be an honour being in the same team as former Wimbledon Champion Richard Krajicek.  It will be great playing in front of Indian fans for the first time and I can’t think of a better way of ending a wonderful year.”

The Champions Tennis League 2015 will commence from November 23rd 2015 and will see 13 matches played over a 2-week period.  CTL will feature six city based teams across India. The teams will be structured into two zones, each having three teams, where all teams play each other in a home and away format. The team winning the highest number of games in their respective zone will play each other in the grand finale on December 6th 2015 to win prize money of Rs. 1 crore. The runner-up will win Rs. 50 lakhs.

Source : Lokesh Shastri