The Porsche Race to Singapore shows no signs of slowing in the final three weeks of the 2017 season, and Caroline Garcia's stunning run to her biggest career title in Wuhan ensured that the Frenchwoman added her name to an already packed conversation.
Moving up six spots to No.10 in this week's Race, Garcia could still mathematically rise into the eighth and final singles spot at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global should she win the final Premier Mandatory event of the season.
The No.8 spot is currently held by Johanna Konta, but the Brit's fifth straight loss in the opening round of Beijing opened the door to Garcia and others.
The recipient of a performance bye in Beijing after her result in Wuhan, the 23-year-old will take on Elise Mertens, conquerer of 2016 WTA Finals champion Dominika Cibulkova on Monday, in her first match.
Americans CoCo Vandeweghe and Sloane Stephens were also still in contention to begin the week, but the US Open champion's lost to compatriot Christina McHale on Monday.
Two-time Grand Slam semifinalist Vandeweghe needs to win the title and made a good start to her China Open campaign with a straight sets victory against Donna Vekic on Monday.
While the fight for the eighth spot is on, the scenario for the No.7 spot is fairly easy: win and Jelena Ostapenko is in.
Race to Singapore: Ostapenko on the brink, Konta stumbles
The French Open champion can punch her ticket to her first WTA Finals with a win over Samantha Stosur in the second round of the China Open.
Here's how the Porsche Race to Singapore Leaderboard in singles stands as of October 2:
In doubles, a packed field of seven teams are vying for the last four qualification spots entering the week's play at the China Open.
The team of Andreja Klepac and María José Martínez Sánchez defeated Shuko Aoyama and Yang Zhaoxuan in the opening round, which can have implications for the qualifciation of other teams.
The Slovenian and Spanish pair need to reach the semifinals to have any chance of qualifying in Beijing, but their first round win, coupled with the team of Sania Mirza and Peng Shuai losing before the final, would see the teams of Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Kveta Peschke and Timea Babos and Andrea Hlavackova qualify this week.
Should Mirza and Peng fail to reach the semifinals, Miami Open champions Gabriela Dabrowski and Xu Yi-Fan, who came from a set down in their opening round win on Monday, would also qualify.
Here's how the Porsche Race to Singapore Leaderboard in doubles stands as of October 2: