By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday October 16, 2024
The WTA’s elite eight is set for the WTA Finals Riyadh, as Barbora Krejcikova and Zheng Qinwen claimed the last two singles spots on offer.
Krejcikova, this year’s Wimbledon champ, and Zheng, this year’s Olympic singles gold medalist in Paris, join Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini in a talented field that will take the court from Nov 2 to November 9 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with $15 million in prize money on the line.
Scroll down for more on the eight qualifiers:
Iga Swiatek
2024 Record: 54-7
Titles: 5 (Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome, Roland-Garros)
Defending champion Swiatek leads the tour in titles in 2024, but hasn’t raised a trophy since Roland-Garros. She won this title last year without dropping a single match.
Aryna Sabalenka
2024 Record: 54-12
Titles: 4 (Australian Open, Cincinnati, US Open, Wuhan)
The 26-year-old will battle Swiatek for the No.1 ranking after winning two majors in the same season for the first time. Sabalenka seeks her first WTA Finals title – she reached the final in 2022 and bowed out to Swiatek in the semis last year.
Coco Gauff
2024 Record: 48-15
Titles: 2 (Auckland and Beijing)
Gauff recently won the title in Beijing and she is making her third WTA Finals appearance. Gauff reached the WTA Finals semis last year.
Jasmine Paolini
2024 Record: 37-17
Titles: 1 (Dubai)
Paolini is in the midst of a breakout season that saw her reach major finals at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon. She makes her WTA Finals debut.
Elena Rybakina
2024 Record: 41-9
Titles: 3 (Brisbane, Abu Dhabi and Stuttgart)
Rybakina is making her second WTA Finals appearance. She has played only three matches since Wimbledon.
Jessica Pegula
2024 Record: 38-13
Titles: 2 (Berlin, Toronto)
Pegula reached her maiden major final at the US Open. The American lost last year’s WTA Finals title match to Iga Swiatek and is making her third WTA Finals appearance.
Zheng Qinwen
2024 Record: 37-16
Titles: 2 (Palermo, Paris Olympics )
This year’s Olympic gold medal winner (and Australian Open runner up) will make her WTA Finals debut in Riyadh.
Barbora Krejcikova
2024 Record: 15-12
Titles: 1 (wimbledon)
Krejcikova qualifies on the strength of her Wimbledon title. She needed to finish inside the Top 20 to do so, and will make her second WTA Finals appearance.
