The season-ending WTA Finals heads to Indian Wells, California, for the first time, with new world No 1 Elena Rybakina leading the field alongside Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff. Rybakina is the defending champion. The tournament runs from 8 to 15 November, and eight singles players and doubles teams have qualified through the Race to the Finals for the sport’s ultimate prize.
The event is the crown jewel of women’s tennis. Matches are played in a round-robin format between two groups of four. The top two players or teams from each group advance to the knockout stage.
WTA Finals groups
Group 1: Elena Rybakina (No. 1 seed), Coco Gauff (No. 4 seed… see note), Jessica Pegula (No. 8 seed), Linda Noskova
Group 2: Aryna Sabalenka (No. 2 seed), Mirra Andreeva (No. 3 seed), Elina Svitolina (No. 6 seed), Karolina Muchova (No. 7 seed)
Meet the players
Elena Rybakina, 27, arrives in the California desert as world No 1 after ending Sabalenka’s 99-week reign at the top. She captured the Australian Open and the US Open, defeating Sabalenka in both finals. Her 2026 record stands at 49-14, with three titles (Australian Open, Stuttgart, US Open). She has made three previous WTA Finals appearances and was the champion in 2025.
Aryna Sabalenka remains Rybakina’s biggest threat. The Belarusian swept Indian Wells and Miami, becoming just the fifth woman in WTA history to complete the “Sunshine Double.” She is 47-10 in 2026, with three titles (Brisbane, Indian Wells, Miami). She has made five previous WTA Finals appearances and was the finalist in 2022 and 2025.
Coco Gauff has all the momentum after a sensational second half of 2025. Highlights included a title in Cincinnati and semi-final runs at both Wimbledon and the US Open. She is 47-15 in 2026 with one title (Cincinnati). She has four previous WTA Finals appearances and was the champion in 2024.
Mirra Andreeva leads a group of three debutants at the tournament after securing her first Grand Slam title at the French Open. She is 50-16 in 2026, with three titles (Adelaide, Linz, Roland Garros), and has no previous WTA Finals appearances.
Linda Noskova won the WTA 1000 event in Doha in February, her second career title and 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. She is 40-11 in 2026, with two titles (Doha, Bad Homburg), and is making her WTA Finals debut.
Karolina Muchova, the reigning Wimbledon champion, also reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells earlier in the year and advanced to the US Open quarter-finals in September. She is 35-15 in 2026, with two titles (Berlin, Wimbledon), and is making her WTA Finals debut.
Jessica Pegula reached 50 victories in 2026 and made five finals. She won titles in Dubai and Charleston and finished 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. She has four previous WTA Finals appearances and was the finalist in 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. She is 46-14 in 2026, with two titles (Auckland, Rome), and has three previous WTA Finals appearances.
Keys joins broadcast team
Former Australian Open champion Madison Keys is joining the broadcaster’s team as a commentator and analyst, offering viewers an insider’s perspective alongside Martina Navratilova, Marion Bartoli, commentator Jonathan Overend and Laura Robson. Keys, 31, lifted the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup in 2025 and 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.
Full schedule
Round-robin matches run from Sunday, 8 November, through Friday, 13 November. The semi-finals are played on Saturday, 14 November, and the finals on Sunday, 15 November. The Order of Play is typically released the evening before each day of competition.
Fans can watch the WTA Finals live on television and streaming platforms from 8 to 15 November.