Emma Navarro has suffered a shock loss at the Hong Kong 125 Open which could severely dent her chances of qualifying for the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
After a surprise loss to Zhang Shuai in her opening match at the WTA 1000-level China Open, US star Navarro made the surprise decision to play in Hong Kong this week.
The tournament in Hong Kong is not a WTA-level tournament and is instead a 125-level event, the highest level of tournament below the official WTA Tour.
World No 8 Navarro was a shock inclusion in the draw, receiving a late wildcard into the tournament in a decision that was likely due to her quest to to qualify for the year-end championships in Riyadh.
Eight players will compete at the WTA Finals but only the top seven players in the WTA Race to Riyadh are guaranteed a place this year.
New rules introduced for 2024 mean that Grand Slam champions are guaranteed a spot as long as they are inside the top 20, meaning that Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova is ensured a place despite sitting down in 12th.
Navarro was the top seed in Hong Kong but suffered a shock quarter-final defeat to seventh seed Anna Blinkova on Friday, the Russian prevailing 6-4, 6-3.
Blinkova had beaten the returning Simona Halep in her previous match but heading into Hong Kong had lost ten straight matches, and 20 of her last 24 matches – highlighting how big of a shock this result is.
US Open semi-finalist Navarro is currently still clinging on to seventh on the WTA Live Race with 3,568 points, though could be knocked down to eighth tomorrow.
Chinese star Zheng Qinwen currently sits in eighth position on 3,460 points, though will move ahead of Navarro should she win her China Open semi-final on Saturday.
Victory over Karolina Muchova would see the world No 7 move to 3,720 points for 2024, while a run to the title would see her hold 4,070 points.
World No 7 Qinwen has the chance to initially move ahead of her American rival though the battle for the seventh and final automatic spot is not done quite yet.
Action at the Wuhan Open next week – the final WTA 1000 event of 2024 – will likely play a key factor in qualification.
Navarro and Qinwen look the best placed to contend for the final automatic spot, with Danielle Collins – ninth in the race – having withdrawn from both Beijing and Wuhan.
However, Daria Kasatkina and Paula Badosa – who is also in the semi-finals of the China Open – are also potentially within striking distance.
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