Defending champion Elena Rybakina leads the field at Indian Wells for the WTA Finals – live on Sky Sports from November 8-15.
The crown jewel of women’s tennis takes place in Indian Wells, California with eight singles players and doubles teams who have qualified for the Race to the Finals competing for tennis’ ultimate prize.
The matches are played in a round-robin format between two groups of four, with the top two players or teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage.
Who will be crowned champion of the WTA finals? Which single star will lift the Billie Jean King trophy?
WTA final groups
Group 1
(1) Elena Rybakina
(4) Coco Gauff
(5) Jessica Pegula
(8) Linda Noskova
Group 2
(2) Aryna Sabalenka
(3) Mirra Andreeva
(6) Elina Svitolina
(7) Karolina Muchova
WTA Finals: Meet the Players
Elena Rybakina will aim to defend her WTA Finals title
Elena Rybakina
The 27-year-old arrives in the California desert as world No.1 after ending Sabalenka’s 99-week reign at the top. She won both the Australian Open and the US Open – beating rival Sabalenka in both finals.
2026 record: 49-14
Titles: 3 (Australian Open, Stuttgart, US Open)
Previous WTA Finals Appearances: 3
Best score: Champion (2025)
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A look back at Elena Rybakina’s season
Aryna Sabalenka
The Belarusian remains Rybakina’s biggest threat after winning in Indian Wells and Miami – becoming only the fifth woman in WTA history to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’.
2026 record: 47-10
Titles: 3 (Brisbane, Indian Wells, Miami)
Previous WTA Finals Appearances: 5
Best score: Finalist (2022, 2025)
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A look back at Aryna Sabalenka’s season
Coco Gauff
The American has all the momentum after a sensational second half of the year, highlighted by a title in Cincinnati and semi-final appearances at both Wimbledon and the US Open.
2026 record: 47-15
Titles: 1 (Cincinnati)
Previous WTA Finals Appearances: 4
Best score: Champion (2024)
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A look back at Coco Gauff’s season
Mirra Andreeva
Three players will make their tour debuts with Andreeva leading the newcomers after securing her first Grand Slam title at the French Open.
2026 record: 50-16
Titles: 3 (Adelaide, Linz, Roland Garros)
Previous WTA Finals Appearances: 0
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A look back at Mirra Andreeva’s season
Karolina Muchova
Her win at the WTA 1000 event in Doha in February was just the second title of her career and first since 2019. She then won a court title in Bad Homburg before reaching her second Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in the summer.
2026 record: 40-11
Titles: 2 (Doha, Bad Homburg)
Previous WTA Finals Appearances: 0
Linda Noskova
The reigning Wimbledon champion also reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells earlier in the year and advanced to the quarter-finals of the US Open in September.
2026 record: 35-15
Titles: 2 (Berlin, Wimbledon)
Previous WTA Finals Appearances: 0
Jessica Pegula
American Pegula racked up 50 wins and made five finals, including titles in Dubai and Charleston before finishing runner-up in Berlin, Washington DC and Cincinnati. She also reached the semifinals of the US Open for the second consecutive year and reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and Rome.
2026 record: 50-13
Titles: 2 (Dubai, Charleston)
Previous WTA Finals Appearances: 4
Best score: Finalist (2023)
Elina Svitolina
Svitolina is returning to the final event of the season seven years after her last appearance. She went unbeaten to win the title in 2018 and reached the final again a year later.
2026 record: 46-14
Titles: 2 (Auckland, Rome)
Previous WTA Finals Appearances: 3
Best score: Champion (2018)
Keys joins the Sky Sports team
Madison Keys joins the Sky Sports tennis team at Indian Wells
Former Australian Open champion Madison Keys will join the Sky Sports broadcast team with the 31-year-old offering viewers an inside perspective as a commentator and analyst alongside Martina Navratilova, Marion Bartoli, commentator Jonathan Overend and Laura Robson.
Keys, who lifted the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup in 2025, remains an active competitor on the WTA Tour.
She won the Eastbourne title in June 2026 and reached the third round of the US Open in September. It is currently ranked 24th in the world.
WTA Finals 2026: Full schedule
The game starts at 20:00 every day.
- Sunday 8 November: Round matches
- Monday 9 November: Round matches
- Tuesday 10 November: Round matches
- Wednesday 11 November: Round matches
- Thursday 12 November: Round matches
- Friday 13 November: Round matches
- Saturday 14 November: Semi-Finals
- Sunday 15 November: Finals
When is the Play Order issued?
The order of play is usually issued the evening before each day of the competition.
Broadcast tennis without a contract in TANI AND The Sky Sports app. You can watch the WTA Finals live on Sky Sports from November 8-15.
