From best to worst: Ranking WTA Finals 2024 outfits ft. Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko
The 2024 WTA Finals kicked off in Riyadh over the weekend, with Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, and Iga Swiatek showing up in full force. The top stars on the WTA not only brought their A-game to the year's last tournament but also their fashion extravaganza.
The first round of group-stage matches in singles and doubles at the 2024 WTA Finals has concluded. Top four singles seeds Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Jasmine Paolini began their campaign with wins. In doubles, top seed Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok were stunned by eighth seeds Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova.
While tennis is the main focus this week in Riyadh, fashion has not lagged far behind. Players like Coco Gauff impressed fans with their stylish outfits, and here is a ranking of the best and worst of them from the tournament so far:
#5 Jasmine Paolini
Jasmine Paolini is playing her maiden WTA Finals this year and is the only woman competing in both singles and doubles format. In her opening singles contest, the Italian No. 1 faced off against Elena Rybakina and notched an impressive straight sets victory. In doubles, she and Sara Errani also took home the win in their first match.
While Paolini shined with her performances, her outfits were not very bright. The 29-year-old sported the same blue top and skirt combo from her longtime sponsor, Asics, that she has worn multiple times on the tour this year. The outfit's color combination did not match well with the court, and Paolini surely deserved a better kit, if not a custom-made one, for her maiden foray at the year-end championships.
#4 Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek is playing her first tournament since the US Open in Riyadh and began her title defense at the 2024 WTA Finals with a hard-fought win. The Pole trailed Barbora Krejcikova by a set and 3-0 before staging an incredible comeback and winning the match in the third set. Swiatek has hardly disappointed fans with her performance over the last three years but the same cannot be said about her kit.
Swiatek's sponsors, Roger Federer-backed On Running, have consistently come under fire for lackluster outfits, and the Pole's kit for the WTA Finals is no different. The five-time Grand Slam champion wore a top-shirt combination with a gradient of purple, pink, and black.
Like Paolini, Swiatek has worn this exact combination on the tour before, with the pink and purple gradient almost always present on her outfit. The only thing different about the Pole's attire from her first-round match at the WTA Finals was her black shoes, which were different from her usual whites.
#3 Barbora Krejcikova
Barbora Krejcikova qualified for the WTA Finals in singles for the second time solely because of her triumph at Wimbledon. She was on track to upset Iga Swiatek in her opening contest in Riyadh but failed to capitalize on a set and double-break advantage. Even though her game plan fell sideways on the court, the Czech No. 1's outfit struck just the right note.
Krejcikova wore a chic coffee brown dress designed by Fila and white shoes for her match against Swiatek. While the outfit itself was understated, its resemblance with Krejcikova's demure coffee brown gown from the pre-tournament player photoshoot added an intriguing layer to the on-court look.
#2 Jelena Ostapenko
Jelena Ostapenko has always caught the eye of tennis fans with her flamboyant outfits, and her choice of kit for the WTA Finals is no different. Playing at the tournament for the second time alongside Lyudmyla Kicehnok, Ostapenko suffered a surprising loss to Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova in the opening doubles contest.
Nevertheless, the Latvian's sparkly outfit managed to shine on the court. Designed by DK One, a brand from Latvia, Ostapenko wore a half-purple and half-black top with a black skirt for her opening contest in Riyadh. The top had shiny transparent polka dots and sparkles on the back, which lit up the attire and made it more Ostapenko-esque.
#1 Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff never fails to impress with her intelligent clothing choices. For the opening round match at the 2024 WTA Finals against compatriot Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff donned an all-purple top, skirt, and headband combination.
The New Balance-designed outfit complimented the former US Open champion's complexion as well as the purple and grey-themed court. The youngster has always carried herself well on the court, and her excellent choice of attire has been an integral part of that. The American was in sync during her match against Pegula and comfortably emerged victorious 6-3, 6-2.