Gauff, Paolini, Rybakina and Pegula Qualify for WTA Finals

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday October 14, 2024

The field for next month’s WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is rounding out. Four players qualified for singles on Monday, with the WTA announcing that Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula had all made the cut.

The quartet joins Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, who will conduct a battle for the year-end No.1 ranking in Riyadh. Currently Swiatek leads Sabalenka by 69 points in the rankings, but Sabalenka has an edge of 806 points.

China’s Zheng Qinwen and American Emma Navarro currently occupy the No.7 and No.8 spots in the Race to Riyadh standings, but only one will qualify as a spot is 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 of action since the US Open.

SINGLES AND DOUBLES QUALIFICATION ✅@JasminePaolini will make her #WTAFinalsRiyadh debut! She has spent the 2024 season climbing the singles and doubles #PIF WTA Race to the Finals rankings! pic.twitter.com/y41eYNRlWn

— wta (@WTA) October 14, 2024

Italy’s Paolini has qualified for doubles as well. She’ll play with Sara Errani. Two spots are still open for the 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 are set to take place from November 2 to November 9.