By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday October 14, 2024
The field for next month’s WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is being finalised. Four players qualified for singles on Monday, the WTA announced Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini, Elena Rybakina AND Jessica Pegula they had all made the cut.
The quartet joins Iga Swiatek AND Aryna Sabalenkawho will fight for the year-end No. 1 ranking in Riyadh. Currently Swiatek leads Sabalenka by 69 points in the standings, but Sabalenka has an advantage of 806 points.
China’s Zheng Qinwen and American Emma Navarro are currently ranked No.7 and No.8 in the Race to Riyadh, but only one will qualify as a spot reserved for Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, provided she finishes in the Top 20.
Spots could open up if players end up withdrawing, which is a possibility given the health issues of Rybakina, who hasn’t played since the US Open, and the absence of Swiatek, also out since the US Open.
SINGLE AND DOUBLE QUALIFICATION ✅@JasminePaolini will do it #WTAFinalsRiyadh debut! She spent the 2024 season climbing in singles and doubles #PIF The WTA race in the ranking of the finals! pic.twitter.com/y41eYNRlWn
— wta (@WTA) October 14, 2024
The Italian Paolini has also qualified for doubles. She will play with Sara Errani. Two spots are still open for doubles.
Lydmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko, Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe, Hsieh Su-Wei and Elise Mertens, Errani and Paolini, Desirae Krawczyk and Caroline Dolehide and Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova have already qualified.
The WTA Finals will take place from November 2 to 9.
