It’s that time of year again! The 2025 WTA Finals are set to take place from November 1–8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking the second consecutive year the women’s season-ending championships will be held in the Kingdom. It will be the 54th edition of the singles event and the 49th edition of the doubles competition, with a record $15.5 million in prize money up for grabs.
Some key talking points:
This year’s Finals mark a return to American dominance—four Americans have qualified for the first time since 2002, when six U.S. women (Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport, and Chanda Rubin) all made the field.There is one WTA Finals debutante – 24-year-old Amanda Anisimova.And there is one player working double duty – Jasmine Paolini, who will play doubles with Sara Errani. The average age of the field is 26.5 with Pegula the oldest at 31 and Gauff the youngest at 18, and there are two thirty something in the field (Pegula, 31 and Keys, 30).
The qualifiers, based on their current race positions are:
1 Aryna Sabalenka2 Iga Swiatek3 Coco Gauff4 Amanda Anisimova5 Jessica Pegula6. Madison Keys7 Elena Rybakina8 Jasmine Paolini
Now more about this year’s elite eight in randomly selected order…
Coco Gauff
The defending champion returns to Riyadh as the youngest winner of the WTA Finals in 20 years. Now 21, Gauff will make her fourth consecutive appearance and attempt to become the first player since Serena Williams (2012–2014) to successfully defend the title. She’s had a great season, winning her second major at Roland-Garros and most recently taking the Wuhan title without dropping a set.
Amanda Anisimova
Thanks to a brilliant season that saw her reach two major finals, Anisimova will make her debut at the prestigious year-end event. The 23-year-old American has enjoyed a career-best season, breaking into the Top 10 and earning her first WTA Finals qualification thanks to consistent deep runs across all surfaces. Could she become the first player to win the event on her debut since Ash Barty in 2019?
Madison Keys
The 2024 Australian Open champion is back at the Finals for the first time in nine years, having last qualified in 2016. The 30-year-old American started the season on an all-time high, winning her maiden major title in Australia in stunning fashion. For Madi, the WTA Finals title would be the perfect bookend to a magical 2025.
Jessica Pegula
They call her JPEG, but we also like MRS CONSISTENCY. Pegula, the 2023 WTA Finals runner-up, returns for her fourth appearance at the event. One of the tour’s most steady performers, Pegula is still thriving, with 50 wins to her name in 2025, and three singles titles on the year.
Iga Swiatek
The 2023 WTA Finals champion, Swiatek has qualified for the fifth consecutive year. The world No. 2 captured the title two years ago without dropping a set and comes into the event at the end of a season that saw her win her sixth major title at Wimbledon.
Aryna Sabalenka
The world No. 1 booked her place in July and will make her fifth straight appearance at the Finals. The 2022 runner-up is also a two-time semifinalist (2023 and 2024), Sabalenka has her eyes on a long-awaited first title in Riyadh. Sabalenka started the season at No.1 and she’s looking to run the table and lock down her second year-end No.1 ranking. She opens with a significant lead over Swiatek in the rankings.
Jasmine Paolini
Paolini clinched her second straight WTA Finals berth with a late-season surge that included a semifinal run in Ningbo. The 29-year-old Italian will also contest the doubles draw alongside Sara Errani for the second consecutive year—making her the only player competing in both disciplines.
Elena Rybakina
Better late than never? The 2022 Wimbledon champion sealed the final spot in dramatic fashion with her Tokyo run, defeating Canada’s Victoria Mboko to pass Mirra Andreeva in the standings. It’s Rybakina’s third straight Finals appearance, though she has yet to advance past the group stage.
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