Who can stop Sabalenka? WTA Finals talking points and vote
Aryna Sabalenka is aiming to cap a dominant year by winning the season-ending WTA Finals which has attracted controversy for being held in Saudi Arabia.
Top seed Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open and US Open titles, heads an eight-strong singles field in Riyadh as she looks to lift the title for the first time.
French Open champion Iga Swiatek is aiming to stop Sabalenka finishing as year-end number one, while Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova also look to challenge.
Grand Slam semi-finalists Jasmine Paolini, Jessica Pegula and Zheng Qinwen round off the qualifiers.
BBC Sport casts an eye over the contenders before the tournament starts on Saturday – and you can vote for who you think will win.
Why is it controversial?
Former Grand Slam champions Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova said the WTA Finals moving to Saudi Arabia is a “step backward” for women’s tennis.
Critics of Saudi Arabia have accused the oil-rich kingdom of using its wealth to invest in sports in a bid to improve its image – known as ‘sportswashing’.
The country has heavily invested recently in golf, Formula 1, football and boxing.
The state has come under intense international scrutiny, with critics highlighting that women’s rights are still restricted and homosexuality is illegal.
The WTA Finals is the first major tour-level event held in Saudi.
WTA chief executive Portia Archer said the organisation is “comfortable” in its decision to host the event in Saudi Arabia.
“We often play in environments and in countries that have different customs, different cultures, and in some cases different value systems than I or the WTA may have,” she said.
“We take care to respect those local customs. We may not always agree with some of the policies in place in a particular country.”
All the players were asked at the tournament’s media day about competing in the country.
World number three Gauff said she had had some reservations.
“First, for the LGBTQ+ community, for me it’s always a community I’m going to fight for. I hear your concerns,” she said.
“I really do feel like, in order to ignite change, you have to start little by little. That’s how I’ve been taught growing up black in America, knowing our history.
“If we shied away from it then, where would we be now? The same message goes out there for women.
“Obviously I’m a woman. I was very concerned. My dad was very concerned with me coming here.”
Top-ranked Sabalenka said it was “important to bring tennis all around the world”.
“The effort they put into women’s sport here is incredible. I’m really impressed,” she said.
“I’m really happy to be here and to be part of, I would say, some sort of history here.”
Who has made the Finals?
Aryna Sabalenka, 25, Belarus
Seed: 1
Best WTA Finals performance: Runner-up (2022)
2024 titles: 4
2024 win-loss: 54-12
With two Grand Slams and more ranking points than anyone else, she has been the season’s standout player. A first WTA Finals title will cap it.
Jasmine Paolini, 28, Italy
Seed: 4
Best WTA Finals performance: Debut
2024 titles: 1
2024 win-loss: 37-17
Late-bloomer Paolini, also competing in the doubles, has enjoyed the season of her life. Having never previously made a Slam third round, she won a first WTA 1,000 title in Dubai before reaching the French Open and Wimbledon finals.
Elena Rybakina, 25, Kazakhstan
Seed: 5
Best WTA Finals performance: Round robin (2023)
2024 titles: 3
2024 win-loss: 41-9
A season of two halves for the 2022 Wimbledon champion, who has struggled throughout with recurring illness. She lost just eight matches in the first six months of the season, but has not played since August.
Zheng Qinwen, 22, China
Seed: 7
Best WTA Finals performance: Debut
2024 titles: 3
2024 win-loss: 47-16
The disappointment of losing her first major final in Melbourne has been offset by winning Olympic singles gold. She goes into the finals having lost four of her past 32 matches.
Iga Swiatek, 23, Poland
Seed: 2
Best WTA Finals performance: Champion (2023)
2024 titles: 5
2024 win-loss: 54-7
Swiatek could become the first back-to-back winner in a decade. It will be the French Open champion’s first tournament with new coach Wim Fissette.
Coco Gauff, 21, United States
Seed: 3
Best WTA Finals performance: Semi-finalist (2023)
2024 titles: 2
2024 win-loss: 48-15
Still the youngest player in the field – on her third appearance. A disappointing US Open swing led to splitting with coach Brad Gilbert and while still fixing issues with her serve, the Beijing champion has won 11 of her 12 matches since.
Jessica Pegula, 30, United States
Seed: 6
Best WTA Finals performance: Runner-up (2023)
2024 titles: 2
2024 win-loss: 38-13
A poor start to the season was transformed on the American hard courts. Champion in Toronto and runner-up in Cincinnati, she lost to Sabalenka in her first major final at the US Open.
Barbora Krejcikova, 30, Czech Republic
Seed: 8
Best WTA Finals performance: Round robin (2021)
2024 titles: 1 (Wimbledon)
2024 win-loss: 16-13
Sat 17th in the seasonal race, Krejcikova qualified on the basis of winning Wimbledon. American Emma Navarro finished eighth but WTA rules hand a spot to a major winner if they finish within the top 20.
