WTA Finals preview: Who to watch and who can win

After a fascinating season filled with dominant performances, the rise of some superstars and the struggles of others, the 2026 WTA season has nearly come to its end.

But it's not officially done just yet.

While former champion Iga Swiatek, who has been a staple of the event since 2021, narrowly missed out, the rest of the year's top performers remain in action with their collective sights set firmly on winning the year's last title at the WTA Finals. Played -- for one year only -- in Indian Wells, California, after moving from its controversial former host site in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the event gets underway with round-robin play Sunday. It will feature the top eight singles players and eight doubles teams -- with a total of $10 million dollars in prize money.

After every player or pair has played against the other three in their group, the top two from their respective groups advance to the semifinals. The tournament ends Nov. 15 with the singles champion earning up to $3.37 million in prize money -- down from the record-setting $5.235 million in 2025 -- and the winning doubles team earning a maximum of $725,000, and up to 1,500 in ranking points. (The winning player or team can earn the maximum amount of money and points by winning all three of their group matches. Both earn less if they do not go undefeated.)

Here's everything you need to know entering the 2026 WTA Finals.

Who's in

Singles

Group 1

1. Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)

4. Coco Gauff (USA)

5. Jessica Pegula (USA)

8. Linda Noskova (Czech Republic)

Group 2

1. Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)

3. Mirra Andreeva (Russia)

6. Elina Svitolina (Ukraine)

7. Karolina Muchova (Czechia)

Doubles

Group 1

1. Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) and Luisa Stefani (Brazil)

3. Guo Hanyu (China) and Kristina Mladenovic (France)

5. Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) and Hsieh Su-wei (Chinese Taipei)

7. Elise Mertens (Belgium) and Zhang Shuai (China)

Group 2

2. Katerina Siniakova (Czechia) and Taylor Townsend (USA)

4. Cristina Bucsa (Spain) and Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA)

6. Demi Schuurs (Netherlands) and Ellen Perez (Australia)

8. Sara Errani (Italy) and Jasmine Paolini (Italy)

Rybakina looks to cap stellar season with Finals crown

It's been an incredible year for the 27-year-old Rybakina. After opening the season with the title at the Australian Open for her second career major trophy -- and ending Sabalenka's quest for the elusive three-peat in the process -- Rybakina won three more titles by year's end, including the US Open, and reached the world No. 1 ranking for the first time.

But her momentum really got started at the end of 2025. Needing to have a strong Asian swing to claim the final spot for last year's WTA Finals, Rybakina arrived to the event red-hot -- and has yet to slow down. She won the title with an undefeated run and finished the season with an 11-0 win streak.

Now back at Indian Wells, a site at which she's a former champion and reached the final earlier this season, Rybakina will have a chance to become the first player to successfully defend her WTA Finals title since Serena Williams won three straight in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

And things are certainly looking promising for her. Rybakina had yet another impressive post-US Open swing and she's defeated six of the other seven WTA Final qualifiers in 2026 -- some more than once. She didn't face Linda Noskova this year, but does have a 3-0 career record against her. Rybakina and Sabalenka are tied with the best odds to win, according to DraftKings.

Will Sabalenka get back on track at the year-end event?

After a dominant and extraordinarily consistent stretch, including 99 straight weeks at the top ranking and a run of 14 consecutive majors in which she reached the quarterfinals or better, Sabalenka had some setbacks in 2026. She failed to win a major for the first time since the 2022 season and recorded her earliest exit at a Slam -- a stunning fourth-round loss at Wimbledon to Naomi Osaka -- since that same year. She lost to Rybakina in the US Open final and fell to No. 2 in the rankings.

But despite it being a down year -- by her standards, anyway -- Sabalenka did win three WTA titles, including winning the elusive back-to-back Sunshine Double of Indian Wells and Miami, and reached two major finals. After a challenging summer, Sabalenka told reporters at last month's China Open that she was feeling better than she normally would at this stage in the calendar and more motivated than ever to finish the season on a high note.

"I feel like this year I feel a bit fresher and kind of, like, I expect a bit more from myself," Sabalenka said. "I'm trying to also not put so much expectations and try to focus on myself.

"But overall, yeah, if the season goes well, by the end of the season you feel a little bit like I don't have energy and power to keep pushing, especially ahead of Finals. You're staying a bit maybe softer on yourself. This season is a different story, so I feel fresh and ready to go."

The top seed in her group, Sabalenka has something to prove. This marks her sixth WTA Finals appearance and while she's reached the final twice, including last year, she's never won the title. Could this be the year she finally takes home the trophy? It seems it would mean more than ever to her.

Home favorites: Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula

The No. 4-ranked Gauff and the No. 5-ranked Pegula are the two Americans in the singles draw, and both will look to win their biggest title of 2026 in front of a partisan crowd.

While Gauff, 22, didn't add to her Slam total this season, she reached her first semifinals at Wimbledon, and also recorded a semifinal appearance at the US Open. She won the 1000-level title at Cincinnati, in addition to reaching the finals at Miami and Rome. Gauff lost in the Round of 16 at the China Open, her lone event since the US Open, but with over a month to refresh and recover (and win Halloween), she should be healthy and ready to make one last push this season. The 2024 WTA Finals champion, Gauff will have a chance to end her season on a high note yet again -- if, that is, she can escape her challenging group, which also features Pegula.

Pegula, 32, also reached two major semifinals in 2026, at the Australian Open and US Open. She won a 1000-level title of her own in Dubai, as well as taking home the trophy in Charleston. Like Gauff, Pegula has spent most of the fall at home. She played in just one event since the US Open -- and lost in her opening-round match in Wuhan. But she too should be energized and fit to make a run in Indian Wells. Pegula has already unwittingly made headlines at the event for describing Andreeva as a diva in a private conversation with her coach that was picked up by a microphone. Pegula reached the final in 2023 and the semifinals last year. If she were to win the tournament, it would mark the biggest title of her career.

Gauff and Pegula -- who are former doubles partners -- will face each other on Sunday in their opening match of the round robin stage. Gauff has won both of their meetings this season, including in the Cincinnati final, but Pegula defeated Gauff in the same stage at the 2025 year-end championships.

The rest of the singles draw

The WTA Finals draw is loaded with star power and talent, and any one of the eight women has a legitimate chance to win the title.

No. 3 Andreeva -- the youngest in the field at 19 -- is having yet another breakthrough season. She won her first major title at the French Open, and also was the champion at three other tournaments. While her second half of the season hasn't been quite as strong as the first, she reached the final at the 1000-level China Open last month. This marks her debut at the WTA Finals after being an alternate in 2025.

Svitolina, the No. 6 seed, will be Andreeva's first opponent in the group stage. The 32-year-old Ukrainian won the title in 2018 and reached the final in 2019 -- and is making her return to the event after a seven-year absence. It was an up-and-down year for Svitolina, as she won the trophy at the 1000-level Italian Open and reached her first Australian Open semifinals, but was handed a first-round exit at Wimbledon, lost in the third round at the US Open, and announced her divorce from fellow tennis star Gael Monfils last month. Still, Svitolina made the quarterfinals in her last two tournaments at the China Open and the Wuhan Open and helped lead Ukraine to the Billie Jean King Cup final. Now she will look to close out her bittersweet year in the best way possible.

It's been a resurgent year for the No. 7 seed Muchova. After four straight first-round exits at Wimbledon, the 30-year-old made the final at the All England Club for the first time. She also nabbed the first 1000-level title of her career -- and first at any level since 2019 -- in Qatar, won the trophy at Bad Homburg, and was part of the triumphant Czech Republic team at the Billie Jean King Cup. Making her first appearance at the WTA Finals, Muchova will open play against Sabalenka on Monday. And that might be a good omen for her, because she owns a 3-2 career record against the former world No. 1.

And finally, Noskova, the No. 8 seed, will also be making her debut at the tournament. The surprise Wimbledon champion had an astounding season, which also saw her win in Berlin, reach the quarters at the US Open and the semis at Indian Wells, and help bring home the Billie Jean King Cup trophy. With wins over Gauff, Pegula, Svitolina and Muchova this year, the 21-year-old Noskova will not be intimidated by the moment, nor any opponent -- including Rybakina in her opener on Sunday.

Double(s) the fun

The doubles draw is equally compelling and features some incredible pairings and matchups.

Dabrowski and Stefani are the top-seeded team, after winning six titles together in 2026 -- including three at the 1000 level -- and reaching the final at Wimbledon and the semifinals at all three other majors. Dabrowski won the WTA Finals trophy in 2024 with Erin Routliffe, and Stefani made the final last year with Timea Babos. Can they close out their monumental year together with their biggest title yet?

Of course, while Dabrowski and Stefani are the No. 1 seed, there is perhaps no more heralded or successful duo than No. 2 Siniakova and Townsend. The pair won both the French Open and the US Open this season -- for four total major titles as a team -- as well as three 1000-level trophies. They reached the final at the 2024 year-end championships but it remains one of the few milestones they've yet to achieve together. Yet, anyway.

It's worth noting, perhaps just as additional proof of how good she is, Siniakova had almost enough points with Zhang to qualify for an additional spot. The two teamed up a handful of times throughout the season when their normal partners were unable to play -- and they won the 1000-level Canadian Open title, the 500-level trophy in Adelaide, and made the 1000-level China Open final. Zhang did make the field with Mertens as the No. 7-seeded team. The pair won the Australian Open title together in January.

Other teams to keep an eye on include reigning Wimbledon champions Hanyu and Mladenovic, the beloved Italian duo of Errani and Paolini, fan favorites Hsieh and Ostapenko, and the Spanish-American pairing of Bucsa and Melichar-Martinez. Townsend and Melichar-Martinez are the lone Americans in the doubles draw.

Indian Wells: One-and-done

After abruptly pulling out of a three-year hosting deal with Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, one year early, the WTA scrambled to find a temporary host for 2026. The Indian Wells Tennis Garden stepped up and players, by all accounts, were excited to return to a favorite stop on the annual tour calendar. With sunshine in the forecast for the entirety of the tournament and temperatures predicted in the low-to-mid 80s during the day, it should be a welcome return to playing outside after the indoor venue in Riyadh.

"I think [Indian Wells] had the courts, they had the space, they know what they're doing there, and I think hopefully it will be a great replacement for the Finals," Pegula told reporters shortly after the announcement was made in July. "And it's unfortunate we couldn't quite end in Riyadh on a good note, but, you know, things happen. So I think we just kind of have to go along with that decision."

It's been a challenging stretch for the year-end championships since ending a five-year run in Singapore following the 2018 season, with multiple host cities and a slew of logistical and geopolitical issues. Indian Wells is the 15th host city since the event began in 1972, but the sixth in the past seven stagings of the tournament.

In September, the WTA announced Charlotte as its new host city, starting in 2027 and for the next three seasons. With a financial commitment from the city, and the WTA moving its headquarters to the North Carolina metropolis, the organization has high hopes for its signature event going forward.

WTA chairperson Valerie Camillo said during a media call that the vision was to make the event "the Super Bowl of women's sports," complete with a fan fest, and for it to become an "annual gathering for women's tennis, women's sports and women's sports business." The format will also change and be shortened to accommodate sharing the space with the Charlotte Hornets during the NBA season.