WTA Finals: Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff & Elena Rybakina all vying for glory in Mexico

Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek will compete for the top spot on the WTA Tour as the season comes to an end in Cancun.

The WTA Tour season concludes in Cancun with the top eight singles players and doubles teams competing to determine the ultimate champions.

The group stage starts on Sunday, October 29 and lasts until Sunday, November 5. Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek will compete for the top spot in the world rankings.

Qualification is based on points earned in a year, instead of using the usual rankings over a 12-month period.

In the WTA Finals, the eight singles players are divided into two groups. They play against each other in a round-robin format. The top two players from each group move on to the semi-finals. The ultimate goal is to win the WTA Finals Billie Jean King Trophy.

Singles Field

1. Aryna Sabalenka

• Won her first Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open.
• Reached world No 1 in singles for the first time on September 11 and has held the top spot since.
• Captured a total of three titles and made three other finals this year.
• First woman to reach the semi-finals or better at all four Grand Slam events in a calendar year since Serena Williams in 2016.

2. Iga Swiatek

• Leads the WTA Tour this season in titles won (5) and matches won (63).
• Captured fourth Grand Slam title at the French Open – first woman to defend the Roland Garros title since Justine Henin in 2007.
• Claimed sixth WTA 1000 title of career in Beijing and made WTA 1000 finals in Dubai and Madrid.

3. Coco Gauff

• Won her first Grand Slam title at the US Open.
• Sealed four singles titles in 2023, including her first WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati and her first WTA 500 title in Washington.
• Comes into the WTA Finals with 22 wins in her last 24 matches, which included a season-best 16-match winning streak.

4. Elena Rybakina

• Captured the first two WTA 1000 titles of her career at Indian Wells and Rome, and also made the WTA 1000 Miami final.
• Won 27 matches at WTA 1000 events this season – tied with Iga Swiatek for the most on tour in 2023.
• Went 4-0 against current world No 1 players this year and defeated Swiatek three times when she was ranked No 1. She also recorded a win over new No 1 Sabalenka in Beijing.

5. Jessica Pegula

• Won two titles in a single season for the first time, at WTA 1000 Montreal and WTA 250 Seoul.
• Reached two WTA 500 finals at Doha and Tokyo.
• Claimed WTA doubles world No 1 ranking for the first time and also qualified for the WTA Finals in doubles as the No 1 team with Coco Gauff.

6. Ons Jabeur

• As well as finishing as runner-up at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, the Tunisian won the WTA 250 Ningbo Open and WTA 500 Charleston this year.

7. Marketa Vondrousova

• Vondrousova, a runner-up at the French Open in 2019, won her maiden Grand Slam at Wimbledon.
• She also made three other WTA quarter-finals this year, including at the US Open.

8. Maria Sakkari

• Sakkari has reached two WTA Tour finals this season, winning the biggest title of her career at the WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open and also contested the title match at the WTA 500 Mubadala and Washington.

The line-up for the 2023 WTA Finals includes all four Grand Slam winners: Sabalenka (Australian Open), Swiatek (French Open), Vondrousova (Wimbledon), and Gauff (US Open). It will also feature Rybakina and Vondrousova, who will be making their debuts at the tournament.

Karolina Muchova withdrew from the tournament due to a wrist injury. As the first alternate, Maria Sakkari, who won the 2022 WTA Finals, took her place in the competition.

The winner of the WTA Finals will receive 1,500 ranking points and a prize of $3,024,000 by winning every match to claim the singles title.

Sabalenka may have ended Swiatek’s 75-week streak as world No 1 after the US Open, but her advantage at the top has been cut to just 590 points following the Pole’s victory at the recent China Open.

A player earns 125 points for each match played, 125 points for each round-robin win, 330 points for a semi-final win, and 420 points for winning the final.

Belarusian player Sabalenka will defend 955 points in Cancun, as she reached the final last year. Swiatek will defend 750 points after losing in the semi-finals in 2022.

Swiatek is getting ready for the event in her home country Poland before going to Mexico.

“Maybe it’s not like the best scenario because then the pre-season is a little bit shorter, but for sure, I’m going to take all the positive sides from it,” the 22-year-old said.