Caroline Garcia, ranked just 79th in May, won the season-ending championship and will finish at No. 4 in a year that saw Serena Williams and Ashleigh Barty retire.
Even without China’s “zero-Covid” policy, Steve Simon said that unresolved concerns about Peng Shuai would keep women’s tennis away from Shenzhen and a lucrative 10-year-deal to stage the Finals.