Russian-born Australian Daria Gavrilova had a chance to stop Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova from squeezing out Australian-born Brit Johanna Konta from the WTA Finals main draw, but the two-time Grand Slam champion fought her way to the Kremlin Cup title and earned her spot in the prestigious season-ending tournament for the first time since 2009.
This season's WTA Finals draw situation was a bit of a mess, as during the glamorous draw ceremony it was still uncertain whether Johanna Konta or Svetlana Kuznetsova would be the final member of the Elite Eight.