The WTA Finals is very nearly upon us as eight of the top-ramked players in women’s tennis battle it out for one of the biggest titles in the sport.
This year’s event will take place at Indian Wells in California after two years of being hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before it heads off to its new permanent home of Charlotte, North Carolina.
The players have already arrives at Indian Wells to practice, with Jessica Pegula already embroiled in controversy at the 2026 WTA Finals.
Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula, Linda Noskova, Elina Svitolina, and Karolina Muchova are set to battle it out, but who is going to win?
Well, judging from the last 10 years of the WTA Finals, it will absolutely be a first-winner.
The last 10 WTA Finals winners
- 2015: Agnieszka Radwanska (1/1)
- 2016: Dominika Cibulkova (1/1)
- 2017: Carolina Wozniacki (1/1)
- 2018: Elina Svitolina (1/1)
- 2019: Ashleigh Barty (1/1)
- 2020: Did not take place
- 2021: Garbine Muguruza (1/1)
- 2022: Carolina Garcia (1/1)
- 2023: Iga Swiatek (1/1)
- 2024: Coco Gauff (1/1)
- 2025: Elena Rybakina(1/1)
- 2026: ???
The last 10 winners of the tournament, dating back to 2015, have all won the tournament for the first time.
Should the same happen at the 2026 event, that would, of course, rule out Elina Svitolina, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina from winning the tournament.
Sabalenka will absolutely be one of the favourites to win the tournament and continue the trend, despite her lukewarm ending to the 2026 season.
She started the season terrifically well by reaching the Australian Open final and winning the Sunshine Double, but she followed by not winning a Grand Slam this season or another Masters crown.
Nevertheless, she has precedent for good performances at the WTA Finals.
The 2026 WTA Finals line-up and their best effort at the tournament
- Elena Rybakina – W
- Aryna Sabalenka – F
- Coco Gauff – W
- Mirra Andreeva – Making debut in 2026
- Jessica Pegula – F
- Linda Noskova – Making debut in 2026
- Elina Svitolina – W
- Karolina Muchova – Making debut in 2026
She has reached the final on two occasions, in 2022 and 2025, but she was beaten by Garcia and Rybakina.
Elsewhere, Mirra Andreeva and Linda Noskova have both proved that they can get the job done on the biggest stages, having won Roland Garros and Wimbledon respectively.
Pegula, too, has a WTA Finals runners-up trophy to her name, having been beaten in the 2023 final against Swiatek, so she will be hoping to go one better on home soil at Indian Wells.
More WTA Tour news
The WTA Finals takes place between the 8th and 15th of November and will officially round off the 2026 season, with the players returning at the beginning of January for the lead-up to the Australian Open.
