The draw for the group stage of the 2024 WTA Finals was made, with Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina in action.

The season-ending championship, which will be held for the first time in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, will begin on Saturday, November 2.

Sabalenkawho has held the WTA world No. 1 position since last week, has faced No. 4 seed Jasmine Paolini, No. 5 seed Rybakina and No. 7 seed Zheng Qinwen in the Purple Group .

SwiatekThe second seed was joined by No. 3 seed Gauff, No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula and No. 8 seed Barbora Krejcikova in Group Orange.

Gauff and Sabalenka won the WTA 1000 events this month in Beijing and Wuhan respectively, while Swiatek and Rybakina have not played since the US Open.

Play in the Purple Group will begin on Saturday, with Sabalenka facing Zheng and Paolini facing Rybakina.

On Sunday, Swiatek will play Krejcikova, while Gauff will face Pegula in the first Orange Group matches.

WTA News

WTA Finals Power Rankings: Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff top 3

WTA Ranking: Aryna Sabalenka extends her lead over Iga Swiatek, Jasmine Paolini to 4th place, Sofia Kenin +67

Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Rybakina and Pegula participated in last year’s WTA Finals in Cancun, Krejcikova played in the 2021 edition, while Paolini and Zheng make their debut at the event.

Swiatek is the defending champion, having defeated Pegula 6-1, 6-0 in the 2023 final to claim her first WTA Finals crown. The Polish star is the only player in the draw to have won the WTA Finals.

The top two players from each group will advance to the knockout stage, and the group winners will face the player who finished second in the other group in the semifinals.

The year-end world ranking will be decided at the WTA Finals, with Sabalenka and Swiatek both in contention.

Sabalenka is a heavy favorite to finish the season in first place, as she has a 1,046-point lead over Swiatek.

The Belarusian also entered last year’s WTA Finals at the top of the rankings, but was overtaken by Swiatek after her unbeaten run to the title. Swiatek defeated Sabalenka in last year’s semifinals, and this time the duo could meet again in the semifinals or final.

purple group

1. Aryna Sabalenka
4. Jasmine Paolini
5. Elena Rybakina
7. Zheng Qin Wen

Orange Group

2. Iga Swiatek
3. Coco Gauff
6. Jessica Pegula
8. Barbora Krejcikova

READ NEXT: The 7 women who have reached the most WTA 1000 finals: Serena Williams with 33, Steffi Graf 3rd