WTA Finals Comes to Indian Wells: Rybakina and Sabalenka Stand Out

The season's final tournament, the WTA Finals, will be held for the first time in Indian Wells, California. Eight singles players and doubles teams that earned their places through the Race to the Finals rankings will take part. Matches will be played in a round-robin format within two groups of four. The top two players or teams from each group will advance to the knockout round.

In the first group, world No. 1 Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Linda Noskova are competing. In the second group, Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Muchova will battle it out.

Aged 27, Rybakina arrives in California as world No. 1, ending Sabalenka's 99-week reign at the top of the rankings. This season she won the Australian Open and the US Open, defeating Sabalenka in both finals. In 2026 she has 49 wins and 14 losses and has won three tournaments. She is also the reigning WTA Finals champion from last year.

Sabalenka stands out this season after winning Indian Wells and Miami. In 2026 she has 47 wins and 10 losses and has won three tournaments. Gauff, meanwhile, drew attention in the second half of the year with her Cincinnati title and her semifinal runs at Wimbledon and the US Open.