WTA Finals 2022 line-up: Which players join Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff? Four debutants make cut as Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina misses out

The singles line-up for the 2022 WTA Finals is now complete after Maria Sakkari became the eighth and final player to seal her spot in the season-ending finale. The 2022 edition is set to be a star-studded affair, and World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will have her work cut out in a bid to clinch a staggering ninth singles title in what has been one of the most dominant seasons ever by a player.

Swiatek holds a 64-8 win-loss record in 2022 and will enter the WTA Finals, scheduled from October 31-November 7, on the back of the San Diego Open title. The Polish superstar made her debut at the year-ending championships last season, bowing out in the group stage, and she will be keen to make amends this time.

Only three of the other seven players in this year's WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, have played in the tournament before. Sakkari, Caroline Garcia, and Aryna Sabalenka have all competed once in the prestigious event in the past. Greek player Sakkari, who has had an up-and-down season, qualified by beating Veronika Kudermetova in the Guadalajara Open quarterfinals on Friday.

Sabalenka has also had a challenging season but has maintained a Top-10 ranking throughout the year, eventually making the cut. Meanwhile, 2017 semi-finalist Garcia has had her best season on tour so far, rising from outside the Top 70 in the rankings to eventually make the WTA Finals on the back of multiple titles and her maiden Grand Slam singles semi-final at the US Open.

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Four players set to debut at 2022 WTA Finals, including Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula pictured at the 2022 San Diego Open.

Half of the line-up at the 2022 WTA Finals is set to debut at the season-ending championships. Among the debutants are American stars Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, who will also team up in the doubles event for the first time ever.

Gauff is the youngest player to qualify for the tournament since Maria Sharapova in 2005. She broke into the singles top 10 for the first time this year and also reached her maiden Grand Slam singles final at the French Open. The 18-year-old sealed her spot with her second-round win at the Guadalajara Open earlier this week.

Meanwhile, Pegula has also experienced a breakthrough season on tour. The American youngster reached the quarterfinals in three of the four Grand Slams this season and also made her maiden WTA 1000 final in Madrid. The world No. 5 is currently the top-ranked American player in the singles rankings.

World No. 2 Ons Jabeur will also play in her maiden WTA Finals on the back of a stellar season that saw her reach back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. She won the Madrid Open for her first WTA 1000 title and also won another title in Berlin.

Another debutant, Daria Kasatkina, completed the line-up, having won two titles in 2022, reaching the top 10 for the first time since 2019, and reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open.

Players who have qualified for the 2022 WTA Finals:

• Iga Swiatek
• Ons Jabeur
• Jessica Pegula
• Coco Gauff
• Caroline Garcia
• Aryna Sabalenka
• Daria Kasatkina
• Maria Sakkari

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Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina misses out

WTA Guadalajara Open Akron 2022 - Day 2

Elena Rybakina missed out on some crucial ranking points at Wimbledon that could have given her a much bigger chance to qualify for the 2022 WTA Finals. Ranking points were halted at the London Major in light of the ban on Russian and Belarusian players from competing there this year.

Rybakina, who was outside the Top 20 in the race to reach the finals before the week started, was still in contention this week and would have qualified had she won the Guadalajara Open - a WTA 1000 event. However, she lost in the second round, ending any hopes of qualification.