The draw for the 2026 WTA Finals has placed defending champion Elena Rybakina in Group 1 alongside Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Linda Noskova. Aryna Sabalenka headlines Group 2, where she will meet Mirra Andreeva, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Muchova. The top two seeds can meet only in the semi-finals or final.
Rybakina is the tournament’s top seed for the first time, having risen to No. 1 in both the WTA Rankings and the Race to Indian Wells. Sabalenka, who held the top seed at the previous three editions, is ranked No. 2. The event has moved from Riyadh to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California and begins on Sunday, November 8, with the final scheduled for November 15.
Group 1 starts on the opening day. Rybakina faces Noskova in the first match, followed by an all-American meeting between Gauff and Pegula. Rybakina leads Noskova 3-0 in their head-to-head record, while Gauff and Pegula are level at 5-5.
Group 2 takes centre stage on Monday, November 9. Sabalenka opens against Muchova, who leads their head-to-head 3-2. Andreeva then plays Svitolina; their previous meetings are tied at one win apiece.
Rybakina won last year’s tournament without losing a match, beating Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova and Ekaterina Alexandrova in the group stage before defeating Pegula in the semi-final and Sabalenka in the final. Gauff won the 2024 edition, while Svitolina was champion in 2018.
Noskova, Andreeva and Muchova will make their WTA Finals debuts. Marta Kostyuk and Diana Shnaider are listed as alternates and could take part if a player withdraws.
Sources: Tennis365.