2026 WTA Finals draw is out: Rybakina and Gauff in same group

Sabalenka headlines the other group as the season finale arrives in Indian Wells for the first time

Elena Rybakina will have to get past both leading Americans if she is to defend her WTA Finals title. Tuesday’s draw at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden placed the world No. 1 in Group 1 with Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.

World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka leads Group 2, where she will face Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Muchova.

Singles draw

Group 1	Group 2
(1) Elena Rybakina	(2) Aryna Sabalenka
(4) Coco Gauff	(3) Mirra Andreeva
(5) Jessica Pegula	(6) Elina Svitolina
(8) Linda Noskova	(7) Karolina Muchova

A heavyweight Group 1

Group 1 holds three of this year’s four Grand Slam titles: Rybakina won the Australian Open and US Open, while Noskova claimed Wimbledon. It also features the last two WTA Finals champions in Rybakina and Gauff, plus 2023 runner-up Pegula.

Rybakina, who has already secured the year-end No. 1 ranking, went unbeaten on her way to the title last year. She is now aiming to become the first woman since Serena Williams to successfully defend the trophy.

The group gets underway with two strong matches on Sunday. Rybakina opens the tournament against Noskova at noon local time, leading their head-to-head 3-0 without having dropped a set. Noskova, 21, will be making her debut at the event.

Gauff and Pegula follow in the most familiar matchup of the draw. Their series is level at 5-5, and this will be the fourth consecutive year they have met at the season finale, with Pegula leading 2-1 in those encounters. She won their three-set match last year, but Gauff has taken both of their meetings in 2026, in the Wimbledon quarterfinals and the Cincinnati final.

Sabalenka’s missing title

Sabalenka is still chasing her first WTA Finals crown after finishing runner-up in 2022 and 2025. She arrives without a Grand Slam title this season, having lost the Australian Open and US Open finals to Rybakina. However, she won the Sunshine Double in March, including the title at this same venue.

Her campaign begins Monday at noon against Muchova, who leads their head-to-head 3-2, although Sabalenka won their only meeting this year, in Brisbane in January. The Czech reached the Wimbledon final this summer, finishing runner-up to compatriot Noskova, and is making her first singles appearance at the event.

Andreeva and Svitolina complete Monday’s singles schedule, with their series tied at 1-1. Andreeva, 19, is also making her singles debut, while Svitolina, the 2018 champion, returns for the first time since 2019. She won their most recent meeting at this year’s Australian Open.

No Rybakina-Sabalenka in the group stage

The draw rules out a Rybakina-Sabalenka meeting in the round-robin stage, meaning their rivalry can only resume in the knockout rounds.

Rybakina beat Sabalenka in last year’s WTA Finals final and in both of their Grand Slam finals this season, at the Australian Open and US Open. Sabalenka, however, got the better of her rival in the Indian Wells final in March.

Each player will face the other three in her group, with the top two advancing. Each group winner then meets the runner-up from the opposite group in the semifinals on November 14, with the final scheduled for November 15.

The tournament runs from November 8 to 15 after moving from Riyadh to Indian Wells. It will also be without Iga Swiatek, who misses the event for the first time since 2020 after injury ended her qualification hopes.

Doubles groups

Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani lead doubles Group 1, alongside Guo Hanyu and Kristina Mladenovic, Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko, and Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai.

Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend head Group 2, with Cristina Bucsa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez, Ellen Perez and Demi Schuurs, and Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.