WTA Finals: Zhang Shuai-Samantha Stosur avoid Hsieh Su-wei-Elise Mertens in Guadalajara groups
- US Open champions also miss meeting Czech No 1 seeds Krejcikova and Siniakova but face tough test in Mexico showdown
- Japanese second seeds Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara lead the challenge for veteran pair in group stage
China’s Zhang Shuai and her partner Samantha Stosur of Australia have been kept away from the world’s top two doubles pairings in the WTA Finals draw ahead of the season ending showdown in Mexico.
The draw was announced at the opening gala of the event on Monday night at the Palacio Municipal de Zapopan, with the group names a nod to the cities of pre-Columbian Mexico.
US Open champions Zhang, 32, and Stosur, 37, have been drawn in the Group Tenochtitlán at the Guadalajara event.
The veteran fifth seeds will face the Japanese second seeds Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara, fourth seeded Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands, and seventh seeds Darija Jurak of Croatia and Andreja Klepac of Slovenia.
The other pool play – in the Group El Tajin – sees top seeded Czech duo Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova joined by third seeds Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan and Belgium’s Elise Mertens, along with sixth seeds Alexa Guarachi of Chile and Desirae Krawczyk of the US, and Sharon Fichman of Canada and Giuliana Olmos of Mexico.
