The Hologic WTA Tour’s top eight players will face off at the Estadio Paradisus in the WTA Finals in Cancun, where the season-ending championships for the tour are going to determine a new champion.
At the Opening Gala and Draw Ceremony on Friday at the Kempinski Hotel, co-tournament director Gustavo Santoscoy Jr. said: “It’s always a pleasure to see everyone in Mexico again. We’ve become a real family. To give the Mexican fans a chance to see the best players in the world means so much to us.”
The singles draw produced two interesting groups; Bacalar and Chetumal. Elena Rybakina, who is participating in her first tournament, and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will continue their rivalry in 2023. For the 10th time in their careers, Jessica Pegula and Guadalajara champion Maria Sakkari, who entered the race in lieu of Karolina Muchova, will square off.
Sakkari said after being drawn into the Bacalar group: “I’m just very happy to be here and be given the opportunity. It’s going to be very tough, two big hitters and one tough player. It’s going to be great; I’m just super excited.”
The Chetumal group featured three Grand Slam winners: No. 2 Iga Swiatek, No. 3 Coco Gauff, and No. 7 Marketa Vondrousova. In the Chetumal group, Ons Jabeur, who dazzled in a flowing Elie Saab dress, will also compete.
Gauff shared her remarks and said: “I’m coming in with a lot of confidence. Last year, I didn’t do so well, so it’s nothing but up.”
Your 8 WTA Finalists.
Marketa Vondrousova
Jessica Pegula
Coco Gauff
Elena Rybakina
Iga Swiatek
Ons Jabeur
Maria Sakkari
Aryna SabalenkaI am absolutely obsessed with this group of women. 🌊❤️ pic.twitter.com/Oz8gW2uIV8
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 28, 2023
Coco Gauff in 2023
WWLWWLWWWW Ranked world no.3 (career-high), Gauff played her last match on the 7th of October when she was defeated by world no.2 Iga Swiatek 6-2 6-3 in the semifinal in Beijing (draw).
This year the American achieved a compiled 49-14 match record. Coco conquered 4 titles in 2023 in Auckland, Washington, Cincinnati and U.S. Open.
Jessica Pegula in 2023
LLLWLWWLWW Currently the world no.5, Pegula played her last match on the 15th of October when she defeated world no.95 Yue Yuan 6-2 6-3 in the final in Seoul to win her 5th career title.
This year Pegula has managed to achieve a composed 55-17 win-loss record. The American conquered 3 titles in 2023 in Australia, Montreal and Seoul. Pegula got to the final in Doha and Tokyo.
Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula played each other 3 times. Their record is 2-1 for Pegula. The last time they played each other, Jessica Pegula won 6-2 5-7 7-5 in the quarter in Montreal (Omnium Banque Nationale) on the 11th of August 2023.
In the following video you can watch the highlights.
Aryna Sabalenka in 2023
LLWWWWWWWL Ranked no.1, Sabalenka played her last match on the 6th of October when she was overcome by world no.4 Elena Rybakina 7-5 6-2 in the quarter in Beijing (draw).
Currently, during this year the Belarussian has a 53-12 match record. The Belarussian clinched 3 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open and Madrid. Sabalenka was the finalist in Indian Wells, in Stuttgart and at the U.S. Open.
Iga Swiatek in 2023
WWWWLWLWWW Currently the world no.2, the Pole played her last match on the 8th of October when she beat world no.15 Ludmilla Samsonova 6-2 6-2 in the final in Beijing to win her 16th career title.
At the moment, during this season Iga has a 63-11 record. Iga clinched 5 titles in 2023 in Doha, Stuttgart, French Open, Warsaw and Beijing. The Pole was the finalist in Dubai and in Madrid.
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek played each other 8 times. The head to head is 5-3 for Swiatek. The last time they locked horns, Aryna Sabalenka won 6-3 3-6 6-3 in the final in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) on the 6th of May 2023.
Here the video highlights.
