2022 WTA Finals: All you need to know
The 51st edition of the WTA Finals is set to take place between October 31 and November 7. The season-ending hard-court event will be held in Forth Worth, Texas. World number one Iga Swiatek will start as the heavy favorite in women's singles. Meanwhile, Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova will look to defend their crown in doubles. Here's more.
A look at the prize money and points on offer
A sum of $5,000,000 has been set as the total prize money for the WTA Finals. Players shall receive 125 points for each match played or won during the round-robin. An additional 330 points shall be awarded for qualification for the final and +420 for winning the title. An undefeated champion will eventually pocket 1,500 ranking points. The main draw hasn't been announced yet.
Presenting the year-ending top eight players (singles)
Swiatek (10,335) and Tunisian Ons Jabeur (4,555) qualified for the WTA Finals on September 12. Jessica Pegula (4,316) joined the duo on October 13, with Coco Gauff (3,271) and Caroline Garcia (3,000) accompanying them on October 19. Aryna Sabalenka (2,970) and Daria Kasatkina (2,935) came in a day later. Maria Sakkari (3,121) was the last entrant (October 21) post the Guadalajara Open finale.
Swiatek seeks her maiden WTA Finals title
Swiatek, who exited in the group stage in 2021, has the form in her stride. She commands a mouth-dropping 62-8 W/L record in 2022 (main draw). Not to mention, she has won eight titles this year, including the coveted Roland Garros and US Open. Jabeur, who plays her maiden WTA Finals, has a 46-15 record this season, comprising a sensational WTA 1000 in Madrid.
The trio to watch out for
Pegula was recently crowned winner at the Guadalajara Open. She won her maiden title of the year, tallying a 41-17 record in main draws in 2022. 18-year-old Gauff will be debuting in the tournament, with a 38-19 record on her back. She is the youngest finalist qualifier since 2005. Meanwhile, Garcia, the 2017 semi-finalist, has three titles in her kitty this season.
Sabalenka, Kasatkina, and Sakkari are in the fray as well
Former world number two Sabalenka has been in the Top 10 every week of 2022. Kasatkina raked in two titles in August (San Jose and Granby) and holds a 40-20 record. She returned to Top 10 for the first time since 2019, attaining a career-high ranking (8). Sakkari will be vying to claim her maiden trophy this season, having been a finalist four times.
A look at the former champions
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova is a record-eight-time winner at the prestigious year-end clash. Serena Williams and Steffi Graf have the joint second-most titles (5). Notably, Navratilova also owns a whopping 13 titles in doubles, with Pam Shriver (10) following suit. Monica Seles (16 years and 11 months, 1990) and Williams (33 years and one month, 2014) are the youngest and oldest title winners, respectively.
