Top seed Aryna Sabalenka has been drawn in the same group as former French Open champion Iga Swiatek at the WTA Finals in Mexico, which will start on Wednesday.
The end-of-season extravaganza features the eight highest-ranked singles and doubles players in the world with a prize money pool totaling $5M. This year’s is the 50th edition of the event but the first time in history it is taking place in South America at the Panamerican Tennis Center. Players have been split into two groups which have been named after ancient cities in Mexico.
World No.2 Sabalenka is set to lock horns with Swiatek in Group Chichén Itzá in what will be the first ever Tour meeting between the two players. Both players have won two titles this season but Sabalenka has won more matches at 44-35. Furthermore Sabalenka, who is three years older than Swiatek, has earned more than $5M extra in career prize money.
Also in the group is trailblazer Maria Sakkari, who has set a series of new milestones for Greek tennis this season. The 26-year-old is the first woman from her country to reach a Grand Slam semi-final, crack the top world’s 10 and qualify for the WTA Finals. Indian Wells champion Paula Badosa is the fourth member of the group.
Both Swiatek and Badosa are yet to play two of the three players they have been drawn against on the WTA Tour.
Group Teotihuacán will be headed by the Czech duo of Barbora Krejcikova and Karolina Pliskova. Reigning French Open champion Krejcikova is the highest ranked player in the group but it is Pliskova who could be the most dominant force if past history repeats itself. The former world No.1 boasts a total win-loss record of 13-2 against the other players in her group.
Garbina Muguruza, who is a two-time Grand Slam champion, is the only player in Teotihuacán who has previously defeated Pliskova but hasn’t done so since 2017. Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit makes up the quartet following a late surge on the Tour this season which saw her clinch the final qualifying spot. Kontaveit is currently on a 10-match winning streak after claiming back-to-back titles in Russia and Romania.
The two highest ranked players of each group will move on to the semi-final stages.
Group’s and head-to-head records
Chichén Itzá
1. Aryna Sabalenka (BLR)
4. Maria Sakkari (GRE)
5. Iga Swiatek (POL)
7. Paula Badosa (ESP)
| SABALENKA | SAKKARI | SWIATEK | BADOSA | |
| SABALENKA | N/A | 4-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| SAKKARI | 1-4 | N/A | 2-0 | 0-0 |
| SWIATEK | 0-0 | 0-2 | N/A | 0-0 |
| BADOSA | 1-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | N/A |
Teotihuacán
2. Barbora Krejcikova (CZE)
3. Karolina Pliskova (CZE)
6. Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP)
8. Anett Kontaveit (EST)
| KREJCIKOVA | PLISKOVA | MUGURUZA | KONTAVEIT | |
| KREJCIKOVA | N/A | 0-2 | 2-1 | 0-0 |
| PLISKOVA | 2-0 | N/A | 8-2 | 3-0 |
| MUGURUZA | 1-2 | 2-8 | N/A | 2-2 |
| KONTAVEIT | 0-0 | 0-3 | 2-2 | N/A |
