The Chan sisters have qualified for the season-ending WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China, later this month, the WTA announced yesterday.
Chan Hao-ching and Latisha Chan began the season as losing finalists at the Brisbane International before claiming their first title at the Hobart International.
The Taiwanese sisters went on to capture three more titles — the Qatar Open, the Nature Valley International in Eastbourne, England, and the Pan Pacific Open in Osaka, Japan.
Photo: CNA
It is the third time the Chans have qualified for the WTA Finals and in 2015 they became the third pair of sisters to qualify for the event after Manuela and Katerina Maleeva in 1986, and Serena and Venus Williams in 2009.
That year they advanced to the semi-finals before bowing out to eventual champions Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza. They returned the following year, but were knocked out in the opening round.
Latisha Chan also reached the semi-finals in 2007 with fellow Taiwanese Chuang Chia-jung.
“It’s been great playing with my sister again after taking a break for a couple years,” Latisha Chan told the WTA Web site. “We’ve put in a lot of hard work this season and to see it pay off in this way, allowing us to make our return to the WTA Finals, is really amazing.”
“I’m excited to qualify for the WTA Finals for the third time with my sister,” Chan Hao-Ching said. “I have good memories from 2015 and 2016, and we are looking forward to playing our best tennis in front of the Shenzhen crowd.”
The Chan sisters join fellow Taiwanese Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova at the season-ending event along with Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka; Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic; Gabriela Dabrowski and Xu Yifan; and Samantha Stosur and Zhang Shuai.
The WTA Finals run from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3 at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center.
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