Top seed Iga Swiatek drawn into identical group as native favorite Coco Gauff at WTA Finals

A season in the past, Iga Swiatek solely certified for the WTA Finals with a few weeks to spare. She was the fifth of eight gamers to get into the season-ending occasion for ladies’s tennis, a scenario she discovered disturbing.

What about in 2022? Swiatek was so dominant all year long that she booked her spot in September, the primary to take action. And when play begins Monday, Swiatek would be the high seed after holding the No. 1 rating since April and main the tour in titles (eight) and match wins (64).

Swiatek, a 21-year-old from Poland, heads the Tracy Austin Group that was decided by the draw Friday evening, joined by Coco Gauff, Caroline Garcia and Daria Kasatkina. The Nancy Richey Group can be Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula, Maria Sakkari and Aryna Sabalenka.

The singles and doubles fields each have been cut up into two teams of 4 for the round-robin portion of the WTA Finals, which can be contested on an indoor onerous court docket. The high two finishers in every group will advance to the semifinals.

The singles teams are SET in Fort Worth 🔒

Which #WTAFinals match-ups are you most trying ahead to? 👇 pic.twitter.com/uV5r3HfGmQ

— wta (@WTA) October 29, 2022

In doubles, the Rosie Casals Group is Pegula and Gauff, Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan, and Desire Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs; the Pam Shriver Group is Gabriela Dabrowski and Giuliana Olmos, Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens, Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko, and Anna Danilina and Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Pegula and Gauff are the primary pair of girls entered in each singles and doubles on the WTA Finals since Serena and Venus Williams did it in 2009. No. 3 Pegula and No. 4 Gauff are additionally the primary two American ladies each ranked within the high 4 for the reason that Williams sisters in 2010.

A photograph 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 a thousand phrases 📸

Your #WTAFinals elite eight ✨ pic.twitter.com/OoEehgW4ZJ

— wta (@WTA) October 29, 2022

Jabeur, Pegula, Gauff and Kasatkina are all showing on the occasion for the primary time. Since 2000, solely twice have been there extra WTA Finals members making their singles debuts: In 2001, 5 ladies have been within the area for the primary time, and final 12 months, six have been.

The WTA Finals are returning to the United States for the primary time since 2005 after the tour moved it out of China for the second 12 months in a row. The 2021 WTA Finals initially have been alleged to be held in Shenzhen, China, however have been moved to Guadalajara, Mexico, amid the coronavirus pandemic. Then, late final 12 months, the tour mentioned that it will not have any tournaments in China in 2022 due to issues concerning the security of Peng Shuai, a Grand Slam doubles champion who accused a former authorities official in that nation of sexual assault.