WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia

The final event of the women’s tennis season gets underway this weekend, with the world’s top eight players battling it out at the prestigious WTA Finals.

Controversy has surrounded this year’s edition, however, with Saudi Arabia hosting the event for the very first time. The decision to allow this has come under scrutiny from many, considering their women’s rights record.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka leads the pack, with Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Qinwen Zheng and Barbora Krejcikova all also eyeing the title.

The tournament begins with a round-robin. The purple group kicks off proceedings on Saturday, as Sabalenka faces Zheng in the opening match of the tournament before Rybakina – who is making her long-awaited return from injury – takes on Paolini.

The top two in each group move on to the semi-finals, and the rest is self-explanatory.

Another story-line in the background is the battle to be the year-end No. 1. Sabalenka sits in pole position, and three wins in the round-robin stage or simply just reaching the final would see her take the crown for the first time.

Swiatek needs things to fall her way if she wants to finish the year as the world’s best player for a third year in a row. The Pole hasn’t played since her US Open quarter-final defeat to Pegula, so will be desperate to end her season on a high note.

Seeing the world’s best players clash for one of the biggest prizes in tennis always makes for fantastic viewing, and it will surely be the same this time around in Riyadh.

Flashscore.com /Tennis 2024.