WTA Finals: Meet the eight singles players heading to Fort Worth

It's official: the singles field for the year-ending WTA Finals in Fort Worth is settled. On Friday night, Maria Sakkari booked the eighth and last spot in the prestigious season-ender by overcoming Veronika Kudermetova in a grueling quarterfinal at the Guadalajara Open Akron.

So, after nearly 10 months of globetrotting and hustling on court, here is a snapshot of the eight singles players who will be competing at this year’s WTA Finals in Fort Worth. (Note: WTA Finals seedings will be finalized Sunday, following the conclusion of the Guadalajara Open Akron.)

Meet your final eight

Iga Swiatek

Age: 21
Previous WTA Finals appearances in singles: 1 (2021 group stage)
2022 W-L (in WTA main draws): 62-8
2022 titles: 8 (Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, Rome, Roland Garros, US Open, San Diego)

Swiatek holds a commanding ranking point lead at World No.1 after winning her second Roland Garros title, her first US Open title, and the "Sunshine Double" of WTA 1000 events at Indian Wells and Miami this season. Mid-year, Swiatek pulled off a 37-match winning streak (including Billie Jean King Cup matches).

Ons Jabeur

Age: 28
Previous WTA Finals appearances in singles: 0 (Debut)
2022 W-L (in WTA main draws): 46-15
2022 titles: 2 (Madrid, Berlin)

Jabeur rocketed to World No.2 this season, notching her first WTA 1000 title in Madrid and her first two Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. Jabeur was also instrumental in organizing the first WTA event to take place in her country of Tunisia, the 2022 Jasmin Open.

Jessica Pegula

Age: 28
Previous WTA Finals appearances in singles: 0 (Debut)
2022 W-L (in WTA main draws): 41-17
2022 titles: 1 (Guadalajara)

Pegula's season was highlighted by her first WTA 1000 title in Guadalajara, another WTA 1000 final in Madrid, and quarterfinal showings at three of the four Grand Slams (Australian Open, Roland Garros and US Open). Pegula also won the first five doubles titles of her career in 2022.

Coco Gauff

Age: 18
Previous WTA Finals appearances in singles: 0 (Debut)
2022 W-L (in WTA main draws): 38-19

Gauff reached her first Grand Slam singles final at Roland Garros on her way to breaking into the Top 10 for the first time this year. She also spent four weeks as WTA Doubles World No.1 this season. The 18-year-old is the youngest WTA Finals qualifier since 2005.

Caroline Garcia

Age: 29
Previous WTA Finals appearances in singles: 1 (2017 semifinals)
2022 W-L (in WTA main draws): 39-19 
2022 titles: 3 (Bad Homburg, Warsaw, Cincinnati)

Garcia started the season outside the Top 70 but soared back into the Top 10 for the first time since 2018. During her resurgent second half of 2022, Garcia picked up her first titles since 2019, and reached the first Grand Slam semifinal of her career at the US Open.

Aryna Sabalenka

Age: 24
Previous WTA Finals appearances in singles: 1 (2021 group stage)
2022 W-L (in WTA main draws): 30-20 

Former World No.2 Sabalenka maintained her Top 10 position during every week of 2022. She reached two finals and two WTA 1000 semifinals, and she defended her US Open semifinal result from last year.

Daria Kasatkina

Age: 25
Previous WTA Finals appearances in singles: 0 (Debut)
2022 W-L (in WTA main draws): 40-20 
2022 titles: 2 (San Jose, Granby)

Kasatkina picked up two titles in the month of August and reached the first Grand Slam semifinal of her career at Roland Garros. She returned to the Top 10 for the first time since 2019, hitting a new career-high ranking of World No.8 in the process.

Maria Sakkari

Age: 27
Previous WTA Finals appearances in singles: 1 (2021 semifinals)
2022 W-L (in WTA main draws): 37-22

Sakkari made it to Fort Worth by winning the last determining match of the qualification process, a winner-take-all quarterfinal in Guadalajara over Veronika Kudermetova. This year, Sakkari reached four finals, including her first two WTA 1000 finals in Indian Wells and Guadalajara.