ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA - The WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) announced today that Ashleigh Barty has won the 2019 Porsche Race to Shenzhen, finishing the regular season in the No.1 position on the Leaderboard.
Each of the 56 tournaments (52 WTA events plus the four Grand Slams) leading into the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen represents one lap on the Porsche Race to Shenzhen, spread across 29 countries and regions. Throughout the 2019 season, Barty has amassed 6,476 points from 14 laps (i.e. tournaments), with her nearest rival Karolina Pliskova finishing second with 5,315 points.
This marks the first year that Barty has finished in first place on the Porsche Race to Shenzhen, and she is set to make her debut appearance in singles at the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen. The Australian has competed in the doubles field at the WTA Finals on two occasions, in 2017 alongside her compatriot Casey Dellacqua and with CoCo Vandeweghe in 2018.
Barty has enjoyed a standout year in 2019, highlighted by lifting her maiden Grand Slam singles trophy at Roland Garros and her first WTA Premier Mandatory crown at the Miami Open presented by Itaú. She also became the first Australian woman to ascend to the WTA World No.1 ranking in 43 years, since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1976.
“It was already an honor to qualify for the WTA Finals, but to also finish the Porsche Race to Shenzhen on top is an achievement I’m incredibly proud of,” said Barty. “This is a special tournament for myself and my team and I’ll be fighting hard to finish the WTA season with the Shenzhen title.”
The Australian has amassed a Tour-leading 52 match wins this season, including a 15-match winning streak starting with her Roland Garros triumph in addition to claiming her third WTA singles title of 2019 at the Nature Valley Classic (Birmingham) and reaching the round of 16 at Wimbledon. Barty also reached the championship match at China Open (Beijing), her second at the WTA Premier Mandatory level, and is the only player this season to have reached the second week at all four Grand Slams.
Following her title at Roland Garros, Barty moved to the top of the Porsche Race to Shenzhen Leaderboard, a position she held for the remainder of the season.
“Congratulations to Ashleigh on winning the Porsche Race to Shenzhen,” said WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon. “Ashleigh’s season has truly been a remarkable one and she has proved, through her rise to competing at the highest levels of our sport, to be a very deserving winner of this prestigious honor.”
“We’d like to warmly congratulate Ashleigh Barty on winning the Porsche Race to Shenzhen. Her prize of the athletic Cayenne Coupé is the fitting reward for her magnificent tennis performances this season,” said Detlev von Platen, member of the Executive Board responsible for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. “The WTA Finals are another highlight in our successful partnership with the WTA, and the perfect finale to a fantastic tennis year.”
To celebrate winning the 2019 Porsche Race to Shenzhen, Barty will be able to select a brand-new Porsche model of her choosing.
Porsche joined forces with the WTA in 2017 as title sponsor of the Porsche Race to Shenzhen campaign and Leaderboard. This season-long campaign builds towards the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, the crown-jewel event of the WTA season featuring the greatest eight singles players and doubles teams. Since 1978, the Stuttgart-based company has sponsored the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and since 2002 has served as the event owner and organizer. Additionally, Porsche has been the official automotive sponsor of the WTA Finals since 2015.
