It’s as predictable as the leaves suddenly popping with color at this time of year. Once we start edging into October, players begin to pop up to claim places in the ATP and WTA year-end championships. Sometimes these are just formal affirmations of the inevitable, sometimes they’re surprising performances from players who had not been expected to contend.
Whichever the case, the WTA field for Istanbul was fleshed out this week, and the ATP found another qualifier. You have to hand it to the men; with just weeks left in the regular season, fully four of the World Tour Finals slots remain up for grabs. So let’s start out by doling out accolades to the players who qualified for the respective elite eights.