The eight best-performing tennis players of the 2024 season have secured their places in the prestigious WTA Finals in Riyadh. Let’s dive into this elite group, exploring their recent performances and track records at the season’s ultimate showdown.
1. Aryna Sabalenka
The second player to qualify for the WTA Finals, Aryna Sabalenka is enjoying her comeback to the No. 1 WTA ranking this week. Her stellar 2024 season includes two Grand Slam titles (Australian Open and US Open) and two WTA 1000 trophies (Cincinnati and Wuhan). This will be Sabalenka’s fourth consecutive appearance at the Finals, with her best result so far being a runner-up finish in 2022.
2. Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek was the first to secure her place in the elite eight-woman field, marking her fourth consecutive qualification for the WTA Finals. The Polish star is the defending champion, having claimed the title last year with a commanding victory over Jessica Pegula in the final held in Cancun, Mexico. Swiatek’s journey at the Finals began in 2021, where she was eliminated in the group stage. She improved her performance in 2022, reaching the semifinals before falling to Aryna Sabalenka.
The 23-year-old has won five titles in 2024—Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros—all at WTA 1000 and Grand Slam levels.
3. Coco Gauff
Twenty-year-old Coco Gauff will be the youngest player in this year’s WTA Finals draw, marking her third consecutive qualification. In 2022, the young American struggled in the group stage, losing all three matches, but showed significant progress last year by reaching the semifinals. Gauff’s 2024 season has been strong, with two titles under her belt (Auckland and Beijing) and semifinal runs at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.
4. Jasmine Paolini
Jasmine Paolini will make her WTA Finals debut after an exceptional 2024 season that catapulted her ranking from No. 30 to No. 6 ranking. Paolini’s breakthrough came with a WTA 1000 title in Dubai, but it was in the Grand Slams where she truly shined. Prior to this year, she had never made it past the second round of a major, but in 2024, she reached the finals of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. On top of becoming the first Italian singles qualifier since Flavia Pennetta in 2015, Paolini has also qualified in doubles!
5. Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina made history last year as Kazakhstan’s first singles qualifier. She continued to shine in 2024, reaching five finals and claiming three WTA 500 titles (Brisbane, Abu Dhabi, and Stuttgart), while also competing in two WTA 1000 finals (Doha and Miami).
Despite these successes, it’s been a rough season for Rybakina, who has recently found herself embroiled in a turbulent saga involving her now-former coach, Stefano Vukov. The 25-year-old’s three titles this season all came in the first four months of the year. After a semifinal run at Wimbledon, where she was the 2022 champion, Rybakina has only played three matches, winning just one.
6. Jessica Pegula
Jessica Pegula will be making her third consecutive appearance at the WTA Finals following a stellar 2024 season. Her achievements include winning the WTA 500 ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin, defending her WTA 1000 title in Toronto, and reaching her first Grand Slam final at the US Open. Pegula’s best result at the WTA Finals came in 2023, where she finished as the runner-up to Swiatek.
7. Zheng Qinwen
Zheng Qinwen’s 2024 season was undeniably highlighted by her gold medal at the Paris Olympics. While that achievement didn’t directly impact her WTA standings, the Chinese player excelled on the Hologic WTA Tour, earning her first qualification for the season-ending championships.
Zheng started the year strong by reaching the Australian Open finals and later defended her title at the 35° Palermo Ladies Open. She continued to build momentum during the Asian swing, reaching the semifinals at the China Open and securing her third final of the season at the Wuhan Open.
8. Barbora Krejcikova
World No. 13 Barbora Krejcikova qualified for the WTA Finals under a newly invoked rule that allows players to qualify based on winning a major title and finishing in the Top 20. This year, she captured her second Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon. Krejcikova made her WTA Finals debut in 2021, where she faced a tough challenge, losing all three of her round-robin matches.
The 2024 WTA Finals, set for November 2-9, will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking the tournament’s first appearance in the city. In addition to the season’s top eight singles players, the prestigious event will showcase the leading doubles teams, including Jelena Ostapenko & Lyudmyla Kichenok, Hsieh Su-Wei & Elise Mertens, Sara Errani & Jasmine Paolini, Gabriela Dabrowski & Erin Routliffe, Katerina Siniakova & Taylor Townsend, Caroline Dolehide & Desirae Krawczyk, Chan Hao-Ching & Veronika Kudermetova, and Nicole Melichar-Martinez & Ellen Perez.
