MOSCOW, Oct 15: Australia’s Samantha Stosur and Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli said on Monday they will be looking to sneak into a potential backdoor slot for the $4.9 million WTA Championships in Istanbul later this month.

The 2011 US Open champion Stosur, currently ninth in the world but with Bartoli breathing down her neck as they look to be first choice replacement, had been desperate to sneak into the season-ending WTA championship but missed out on the elite top-eight line-up after losing early to Julia Goerges in Beijing.

That defeat allowed China’s Li Na to claim the final spot in the money-spinning tournament, leaving 28-year-old Stosur dependent on an injury withdrawal if she is to extend her season.

Stosur, top seed in Moscow this week, told reporters that this year she would be out to hit top form and take the title.

“This year I’m definitely come into this tournament hoping to do well,” Stosur, who announced a last-moment withdrawal from playing in Moscow last year, said.

“Last year I decided to withdraw from playing here just after the final in Osaka having already qualified for the WTA Championships. It was impossible to play all the Asian swing and then continue playing here.

Meanwhile, second-seeded Bartoli is keen to move up from her current ranking of 10th.

“I’ll try to finish ninth [in the rankings] after the Kremlin Cup,” the 28-year-old said. “I think in any case it’s a great opportunity for any player to participate in the WTA championships, where only the world’s best 10 players can appear.”—AFP