At the start of this week, the last spot at the 2026 WTA Finals was still very much up for grabs. But Iga Swiatek ending her season and Marta Kostyuk retiring in her opening match in Ningbo has set the lineup in stone.
Elena Rybakina, currently No. 1 in the rankings and the race, is on track to finish the year at the top spot despite having to defend her WTA Finals title from last year. Rybakina is currently playing Ningbo and is set to compete in Tokyo. Any results will widen the gap between her and the rest of the field as she attempts to clinch her first year-end No. 1. There have been some injury concerns for Rybakina in recent weeks, but she showed at the US Open that she can beat anyone despite that.
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Coming in at No. 2 is Aryna Sabalenka. It’s been a year of extreme highs and lows for her as she swept the Sunshine Double and made two Grand Slam finals, but lost her No. 1 ranking and went Slamless for the first time since 2022. Sabalenka’s last few tournaments have been characterized by early upsets, and she’s vulnerable heading into the WTA Finals—a title she’s never managed to get her hands on.
Mar 13, 2026; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Aryna Sabalenka (BEL) in her the semi final match defeating Linda Noskova (CZE) during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Mirra Andreeva clocks in at No. 3, the reward for a career-best season that saw her win her first Grand Slam title. Andreeva had a strong Asian swing showing, making the Beijing final in a dominant run, and she’ll take on the challenge of her first-ever WTA Finals.
Jessica Pegula takes the No. 4 spot, which is no surprise considering how consistent she’s been over the course of the season. She’s made five finals, two of which she won, and made two Grand Slam semifinals. However, Pegula has been somewhat stagnant after making the US Open semifinals, playing only one tournament and losing in the first round.
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Close behind Pegula is Coco Gauff. Gauff has had plenty of success this year, but her biggest moments have been narrow Grand Slam semifinal losses at Wimbledon and the US Open. Gauff is a former WTA Finals champion and knows what it takes to win this tournament, and though she’s had a good season, having only one big title to show for it would be somewhat disappointing.
Elina Svitolina will appear at the WTA Finals for the first time since 2019. Svitolina won the WTA Finals title in 2018, where she was the No. 6 entry just like she is this year. She’s the only player on this list other than Rybakina to be entered in Tokyo, so if she can win a few matches she’ll build up a rhythm heading into the WTA Finals, though she can’t pass Gauff for the No. 5 spot.
Clinching her spot in the eleventh hour is Karolina Muchova. Muchova qualified for the WTA Finals in 2023 but withdrew due to injury, so this will be her first WTA Finals appearance. Muchova’s health has been in question this year, as it tends to be, but she’s been playing healthy since the US Open. She tends to be a big-match player who can always take it to the top of the game, and it’s easy to see her thriving at this tournament.
Although she sits at No. 8, Linda Noskova clinched her spot before Muchova due to her Wimbledon title. Noskova stagnated somewhat at the 1000 level since then, but she had an impressive showing at the US Open where she very nearly took out Sabalenka in the quarterfinals. This will be Noskova’s first WTA Finals experience, and unlike the rest she has the benefit of being the underdog by ranking.
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The Last Word
This season has been one of pure parity for the WTA, and as such all eight participants in the WTA Finals have a big title this season. It feels impossible to predict a winner of this tournament, and a reasonable argument could be made for each player winning. This is shaping up to be an extremely competitive, high-quality tournament.
Main Photo Credit: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
