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Flashback: past 5 WTA Finals host city title match debuts

World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty won her fourth WTA title of the season on Sunday when she became the 23rd different player to triumph at the Shiseido WTA Finals. It concluded the first of a 10-year deal struck with the Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre to put on the season-ending event. Here’s a look at the past five host city championship match debuts.

Shenzhen 2019: Ashleigh Barty d. Elina Svitolina, 6-4, 6-3

Barty wiped away a 0-5 head-to-head mark against Svitolina to win the title and prevented the Ukrainian from retaining the crown. The top seed became the first Australian to win since 1976, when Evonne Goolagong Cawley claimed her second title in three years.

SHENZHEN, CHINA - NOVEMBER 03: Elina Svitolina (L) of Ukraine and Ashleigh Barty of Australia pose with the runner-up trophy and the Billie Jean King trophy respectively during the trophy presentation ceremony following their Women's Singles final match on Day Eight of the 2019 Shiseido WTA Finals at Shenzhen Bay Sports Center on November 03, 2019 in Shenzhen, China. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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Singapore 2014: Serena Williams d. Simona Halep, 6-3, 6-0

The first of a five-year run in Singapore, fans were treated to what currently stands as Serena’s last appearance at the year-end championships. The world No. 1 avenged an earlier round-robin defeat to Halep to win her third successive Billie Jean King Trophy.

Serena Williams of the US celebrates winning the WTA Finals for the third time in a row and fifth overall in Singapore on October 26, 2014. World number one Williams beat Romania's Simona Halep 6-3, 6-0. AFP PHOTO / ROSLAN RAHMAN (Photo credit should read ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Istanbul 2011: Petra Kvitova d. Victoria Azarenka, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3

Earlier in the year, Kvitova won her first major at Wimbledon, where she also got the better of Azarenka by winning a tough three-setter in the semifinals. The Czech triumphed on her WTA Finals debut, running the table with a 5-0 record.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - OCTOBER 30: Victoria Azarenka and Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic pose for photogrtaphers after the final of the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships Istanbul at the Sinan Erdem Dome on October 30, 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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Doha 2008: Venus Williams d. Vera Zvonareva, 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-2

In a field that started with four Russians, and later five when Nadia Petrova stepped in as an alternate, Venus emerged victorious. The American won four matches over three sets, including against Serena, to taste victory at the tournament for the first time.

DOHA, QATAR - NOVEMBER 09: Venus Williams of the USA receives the Billie Jean King Cup from Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Misnad after her three set victory against Vera Zvonareva of Russia in the final during the Sony Ericsson Championships at the Khalifa Tennis Complex on November 9, 2008 in Dohar, Qatar. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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Madrid 2006: Justine Henin d. Amelie Mauresmo, 6-4, 6-3

In the first of a two-year stint at Madrid, the story was all Henin. The Belgian cemented the year-end No. 1 ranking with a semifinal win over Maria Sharapova, then avenged Australian Open and Wimbledon final defeats—plus an earlier round-robin loss—against reigning champion Mauresmo.

Madrid, SPAIN: Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne celebrates after winning a point against France's Amelie Mauresmo in the final of the end-of-season WTA Tour Championships in Madrid, 12 November 2006. Henin-Hardenne won 6-4, 6-3 to take the championship and the No 1 spot. AFP PHOTO/PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU (Photo credit should read PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP via Getty Images)
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