Ashleigh Barty has snuck into the field for the Elite Trophy in China on the back of a superb WTA Tour season - and an injury to a rival.
Barty began 2017 ranked world No.271, having returned to the tour last season after a 20-month sabbatical and stint playing cricket in the Women's Big Bash League with Brisbane Heat.
The 21-year-old's breakout season has included a maiden WTA singles title in Kuala Lumpur and further finals in Birmingham and Wuhan.
She toppled three world top-10 players - including reigning French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko - on her way to the Wuhan final.
Later this week, she will team up with fellow Australian Casey Dellacqua as one of the world's top-eight doubles teams at the year-end WTA Finals in Singapore.
And she will head to the Chinese city of Zhuhai for the event beginning next week, which features players ranked nine to 19 in the WTA singles rankings.
Barty sits at No.20, however Britain's Johanna Konta is out for the rest of the season with a foot injury.
This means the Australian will move up one spot in the rankings, enough to qualify for the event.
She said her rapid rise up the rankings came after a poor start back on the court in 2016.
"Last year was a very frustrating year. I felt like I was ready to play again but my body wasn't able to handle the load of professional tennis," she told AAP in Singapore.
"It was frustrating to have a few injuries. We played a lot of matches straight away, which was really good and really bad because we got injured.
Barty has also paid tribute to Dellacqua for the role she has played in getting her back to where she is today.
"It's been really nice to have Case with me travelling again and, no doubt, she's been a massive influence on my singles and, obviously, doubles," she said.
Also playing in Zhuhai will be US Open champion Sloane Stephens and 2016 Australian Open winner Angelique Kerber.
It comes after Barty leapfrogged Daria Gavrilova earlier this month to become the Australian No.1.
The event will take place just before the end of the season, but she will return in 2018 aiming for a tilt at the Australian Open.
Barty will begin that effort at the Brisbane International, having already been confirmed as one of that event's star attractions.
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