All You Need to Know About the Format of the Prestigious WTA Finals at Cancun in Mexico

The WTA Finals (previously known as the WTA Tour Championships or WTA Championships) is the season-ending tournament in the WTA Tour. After the Grand Slams, it is the biggest tennis event on the women’s tennis calendar. It features the top eight singles players and the top eight doubles teams based on their season results.

The tournament took place before the WTA Tour was established. It began in 1972 as the championship tournament of the Tour’s predecessor; the Virginia Slims Circuit. Since 2003, the tournament has adopted a format that is unlike any other WTA Tour event.

Where is the WTA Finals this year?

Cancun will host the year-end tournament for the first time later this month, from October 29th to November 5th. Aside from Cancun, four other cities competed to host the WTA Finals. However, the Cancun bid was chosen above others, such as Riyadh, Ostrava, Cluj Napoca, and Washington DC.

There were various reports that the event might be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Before Cancun was chosen, Prague was also considered as a potential location.

What is the format for WTA Finals?

In both the singles and doubles events, eight players or teams compete in a round-robin format. The players are divided into two groups of four. Each player/team meets the other three players/teams in her/their group at least once over the first four days of the competition. The top two in each group progress to the semifinals. In one group, the first-placed player/team meets the second-placed player/team in the other group, and vice versa.

In the final match, the winners of each semifinal bout will play against each other. The following criteria are used to determine the final standings: the most victories, the most matches played, and the head-to-head tally if two players are tied.

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The format for the WTA Finals 2023 is quite different from the general format of tennis tournaments throughout the season. In the grand slams, if a player loses a match, they are out of the competition, whereas in the Finals, the top two players in the group advance, irrespective of wins/losses. Additionally, the prize money for each stage in a slam is set. But in the Finals, the prize money increases with each win. 

What are the qualifications for singles and doubles in the WTA Finals?

The total points in singles is tallied by combining points from sixteen tournaments (excluding ITF and WTA 125 tournaments). The eight qualifying players have been announced. Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Marketa Vondrousova, Karolina Muchova, and Ons Jabeur are the seeds. Caroline Garcia, the 2022 champion, will not be returning to defend her title.

Point totals in doubles are calculated by any combination of eleven tournaments held throughout the year. Coco Gauff/Jessica Pegula, Storm Hunter/Elise Mertens, Czech duo Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Sinakova, Demi Schuurs/Desirae Krawczyk, Shuko Aoyama/Ena Shibahara, Gabriela Dabrowski/Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar/Ellen Perez have qualified for the championship.

The Finals are right around the corner and fans will get to experience the best players of the season battle it out for the trophy.

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