World number one Elena Rybakina and American Coco Gauff have been drawn in the same group for the WTA Finals, while second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka will face third-ranked Mirra Andreeva in the other group at the season-ending tournament.
Defending champion Rybakina will begin her title defence against Gauff, four-time WTA Finals participant Jessica Pegula and reigning Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, who will be making her debut at the event.
Sabalenka’s group also features 19-year-old Andreeva, 2018 WTA Finals champion Elina Svitolina and Czech player Karolina Muchova.
The tournament, which brings together the top eight players of the season, will be held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden from November 8-15. The top two players from each round-robin group will advance to the semi-finals.
Rybakina, who claimed the world number one ranking after September’s U.S. Open, said the position brought both increased scrutiny and motivation.
“It has been an unbelievable couple of months,” Rybakina said during Tuesday’s draw ceremony.
“It is of course pressure because of all of the attention, but at the same time it’s motivation because you don’t want to lose. In this sport, you still need to work a lot.”
Sabalenka will be looking to regain the top ranking after losing it to Rybakina at the U.S. Open. The Belarusian won both Indian Wells and Miami earlier this year to complete the “Sunshine Double”.
Organisers announced in July that the tournament would move from Riyadh to Indian Wells following the early termination of the WTA’s hosting agreement with Saudi Arabia.
