Amid Iga Swiatek and other players using hotel courts, WTA Finals to make stadium available for practice just a day prior to tournament: Reports

Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and other players have been practicing in hotel courts ahead of the 2023 WTA Finals amid the unfinished stadium controversy. Reports now suggest that players will have only one day to practice in the stadium before their opening matches.

The 2023 WTA Finals are set to take place in Cancun, Mexico, from October 29 to November 5. The top eight players from both singles and doubles will compete in the highly anticipated year-end championships.

Last month, tournament organizers said that they had allocated $6 million towards the construction of a new stadium. Players and officials were initially informed that the stadium would be available for practice from Thursday, October 26.

However, just days ahead of the event, construction works are still ongoing, forcing the players to practice on limited facilities available in their hotels.

The group stage will commence on Sunday and two singles matches will be played daily until the final. Players are drawn into two separate groups and the top two finishers from each group will advance to the semifinals, which will be played on November 4.

Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Marketa Vondrousova, Ons Jabeur, and Maria Sakkari have qualified for this year's WTA Finals. Sakkari, ranked No. 9, replaced Karolina Muchova who announced her decision to withdraw from the tournament due to a wrist injury.

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A look at World No. 1 scenarios for Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka at WTA Finals

Iga Swiatek at the 2022 WTA Finals

The year-end World No. 1 ranking will boil down to the WTA Finals as both Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have their share of chances to finish on top of the leaderboard this season.

With 8,425 points, Sabalenka leads Swiatek by 630 points. She can retain the top spot by reaching the final with two wins in the group stage, regardless of Swiatek's results.

However, if Sabalenka goes 2-1 in group play, Swiatek would need to win a minimum of two group stage matches and the title to claim the No. 1 rank. If the Belarusian earns just one win or any less in the group stage, Swiatek will finish the season atop by winning the title.

Iga Swiatek finished on top of the 2022 WTA rankings with 11,085 points, while Sabalenka ensured a top-5 finish. The Pole's 75-week reign as No. 1 ended after Sabalenka's run to the 2023 US Open final in September.