The contest to qualify for the WTA Finals was settled in Beijing, but the field has been battered by injuries on the way to the season-ending championships.
Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska, Eugenie Bouchard, Ana Ivanovic, and Caroline Wozniacki have qualified for the eight-player event, though both Williams and Halep both withdrew from Beijing with a knee and injuries, respectively. The Romanian is still expected to play the WTA Finals, but Williams said she would have an MRI on her knee first.
Ivanovic and Bouchard were also carrying physical problems from the previous week into Beijing, winning one match between them. Radwanska, who has been wearing shoulder tape, also looked less than fully fit.
Li Na, who was expected to receive a lot of attention at the first season-ending championship in Singapore, retired two weeks ago.
Kvitova has defied the general inconsistency, winning a title and reaching a final in the previous two weeks. But she admitted that her body is "heavy," and has seen several of her rivals experience physical issues.
"I think it's a lot of injuries. It's a long season," she said.
That has affected the atmosphere among the players, said the Czech, though there is also the pressure of wanting to do well at the WTA Finals.
"It's very tough to find energy," she said of the locker room. "It's a long season. Normally we are alone on the tournaments. It's just hotel room. Then you are glad if you are on-site and you can chat with somebody. If nobody's in the locker room, it's tough.
"I think a lot of players are, like, tired already and are looking forward to go home and be there. But on the other side, it's a big tournament and everybody is happy we're still in the draw and still playing. It's competitive, what we really love to play. It's both sides."
The WTA Finals begin in two weeks.