Elena Rybakina, the new world No 1, leads the field as the WTA Finals heads to Indian Wells for the first time. The season-ending championship runs from 8 to 15 November in California, with Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff among the eight singles players and doubles teams who qualified through the Race to the Finals.
The event is described as the crown jewel of women’s tennis. Matches are played in a round-robin format across two groups of four, and the top two players or teams from each group advance to the knockout stage.
WTA Finals groups
Group 1: Elena Rybakina (4), Coco Gauff (5), Jessica Pegula (8), Linda Noskova
Group 2: Aryna Sabalenka (3), Mirra Andreeva (6), Elina Svitolina (7), Karolina Muchova
Seeds are shown in brackets, with Sabalenka and Rybakina seeded first in their groups.
Meet the players
Elena Rybakina arrives in the California desert as world No 1 after ending Sabalenka’s 99-week reign at the top. The 27-year-old captured both the Australian Open and the US Open, defeating Sabalenka in both finals. She is the defending champion, having won the title in 2025.
2026 record: 49-14. Titles: 3 (Australian Open, Stuttgart, US Open). Previous WTA Finals appearances: 3. Best result: Champion (2025).
Aryna Sabalenka remains Rybakina’s biggest threat. The Belarusian swept to victory at Indian Wells and Miami, becoming just the fifth woman in WTA history to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’.
2026 record: 47-10. Titles: 3 (Brisbane, Indian Wells, Miami). Previous WTA Finals appearances: 5. Best result: Finalist (2022, 2025).
Coco Gauff has all the momentum after a sensational second half of the year. Her highlight was a title in Cincinnati, and she reached the semi-finals at both Wimbledon and the US Open.
2026 record: 47-15. Titles: 1 (Cincinnati). Previous WTA Finals appearances: 4. Best result: Champion (2024).
Mirra Andreeva leads three debutants at the tournament after securing her first Grand Slam title at the French Open.
2026 record: 50-16. Titles: 3 (Adelaide, Linz, Roland Garros). Previous WTA Finals appearances: 0.
Linda Noskova won the WTA 1000 event in Doha in February, her second career title and her first since 2019. She then claimed a grass-court title in Bad Homburg before reaching her second Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in the summer.
2026 record: 40-11. Titles: 2 (Doha, Bad Homburg). Previous WTA Finals appearances: 0.
Karolina Muchova is the reigning Wimbledon champion. She also reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells earlier in the year and advanced to the US Open quarter-finals in September.
2026 record: 35-15. Titles: 2 (Berlin, Wimbledon). Previous WTA Finals appearances: 0.
Jessica Pegula reached 50 victories this year and made five finals. She won titles in Dubai and Charleston before finishing runner-up in Berlin, Washington DC and Cincinnati. She also reached the US Open semi-finals for a second consecutive year and made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and Rome.
2026 record: 50-13. Titles: 2 (Dubai, Charleston). Previous WTA Finals appearances: 4. Best result: Finalist (2023).
Elina Svitolina returns to the season-ending event seven years after her last appearance. She went undefeated to win the title in 2018 and reached the final again a year later.
2026 record: 46-14. Titles: 2 (Auckland, Rome). Previous WTA Finals appearances: 3. Best result: Champion (2018).
Madison Keys joins broadcast team
Former Australian Open champion Madison Keys is joining the broadcast team, where the 31-year-old will offer viewers an insider’s perspective as a commentator and analyst. She will work alongside Martina Navratilova, Marion Bartoli, commentator Jonathan Overend and Laura Robson.
Keys, who lifted the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup in 2025, remains an active competitor on the WTA Tour. She won the Eastbourne title in June 2026 and reached the third round of the US Open in September. She is currently ranked No 24 in the world.
WTA Finals 2026: Full schedule
Round-robin matches are played from Sunday 8 November to Friday 13 November. The semi-finals take place on Saturday 14 November, and the final is on Sunday 15 November.
The Order of Play is typically released the evening before each day of competition.