The 2023 WTA Finals is the year-end climax to another fantastic tennis season that generated plenty of intriguing talking points, with the major story yet to be written.
That will happen in the first week of November when the WTA Finals will be held in Cancun, Mexico - its new home for the 2023 edition. The tournament will kick off on October 29th and run till November 5th. As is customary, this showpiece event will be held on indoor hard courts, at the Plaza Quintana Roo.
Eight of the world's best players during the 2023 WTA season will have the chance to win the most prestigious tennis tournament outside the four majors. The eight players will be split into two groups of four, and compete in a Round Robin format, where the top two players in each group will qualify for the semifinals.
Sabalenka qualified for the season finale for the third straight year. Her best achievement at these championships was reaching the title match in 2022, where she lost to Caroline Garcia. Sabalenka used that result as a springboard to a fabulous 2023 campaign.
The Belarusian star ended her wait for a Grand Slam singles title at this year's Australian Open. She has also bagged the 500-level event in Adelaide and the WTA 1000 in Madrid. Sabalenka is the only WTA player who made the semifinals or better in all four majors this season.
Poland's Iga Swiatek has also qualified for the third successive season. After a group stage in 2021, she reached the semifinal stage last year. Swiatek will arrive in Cancun on the back of another excellent season, winning a third Roland Garros crown.
Elena Rybakina is a history-making entrant at the 2023 WTA Finals. The 24-year-old is the first Kazakhstani woman to qualify for these championships after another stellar season yielded a Grand Slam runner-up trophy and two WTA 1000s. Additionally, she has won 27 matches on hard courts this season.
Coco Gauff's breakthrough year has earned her a place among the elite eight. The 19-year-old fulfilled her dream of winning a Grand Slam at this year's US Open, which came as a massive relief after carrying a heavy baggage of hype.
It will be the second year in a row that Gauff has punched her ticket at the WTA Finals, doing so in singles and doubles fields. Gauff jointly holds the tag for the most titles in 2023 with Swiatek (four apiece), and she'll look to pick up her first match win at the tournament after a 0-6 record last year on both fronts.
Jessica Pegula is another American joining the fray. Like Gauff, Pegula has qualified in both the singles and doubles events. She was eliminated in the group stage last year when the tournament was held on home turf. But Mexico will bring fond memories to the 29-year-old who won a maiden WTA 1000 in Guadalajara last season.
During the 2023 China Open, the last three spots were secured by Marketa Vondrousova, who won the Wimbledon in 2023, Ons Jabeur, and Karolina Muchova.
2023 WTA Finals Entry List:
| Qualified | Player |
|---|---|
| 1. | Aryna Sabalenka |
| 2. | Iga Swiatek |
| 3. | Coco Gauff |
| 4. | Elena Rybakina |
| 5. | Jessica Pegula |
| 6. | Marketa Vondrousova |
| 7. | Ons Jabeur |
| 8. | Karolina Muchova |
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