In Pictures: Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and other tennis stars dazzle in chic outfits during team dinner at WTA Finals
Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and many other players were in attendance at the WTA Finals team dinner in Riyadh. The year-end tournament is set to commence on November 2.
The 2024 WTA tour is gradually reaching its end, with the WTA Finals being the point of focus after the Asian swing that saw Coco Gauff win the China Open and Aryna Sabalenka win the Wuhan Open, among other notable tournaments.
Before the start of the year-end tournament, the competitors were in attendance at the players' dinner. Iga Swiatek donned a formal outfit to the event while Aryna Sabalenka wore a black dress.
Fifth seed Elena Rybakina, who will be in action for the first time since the US Open, also attended the dinner with her sister and her team. The Kazakh wore a black dress with a floral design for the occasion.
Another competitor who was in attendance at the dinner was seventh seed Zheng Qinwen who donned a while outfit and complemented it with a black jacket.
A look at the WTA Finals 2024 groups
The eight singles competitors at the WTA Finals have been drawn into two groups of four players each. The Purple Group has top seed Aryna Sabalenka who has been in sensational form over the past few months, having won the US Open, Cincinnati Open and most recently, the Wuhan Open.
Third seed Jasmine Paolini is also in this group and she is entering the year-end tournament in Riyadh at the back of a quarterfinal appearance in Wuhan. Fifth seed Elena Rybakina will also play her matches in the Purple Group.
Seventh seed Zheng Qinwen completes the group and she has also been in impressive form, having won the Toray Pan Pacific Open while reaching the final of the Wuhan Open. The first set of matches in the Purple Group will see Aryna Sabalenka face Zheng Qinwen while Jasmine Paolini will take on Elena Rybakina.
The Orange Group has defending champion Iga Swiatek, who will compete for the first time since her quarterfinal exit at the US Open. American No. 1 Coco Gauff will also play in this group and she is entering the WTA Finals after some impressive performances in the Asian swing, during which, she won the China Open and reached the semifinals of the Wuhan Open.
Sixth seed Jessica Pegula is also in the Orange Group as is Barbora Krejcikova. The American produced some terrific performances during the North American hard-court swing, winning the Canadian Open and reaching her maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open. Krejcikova's most notable performance this year is winning Wimbledon.
The first set of matches in the Orange Group will see Iga Swiatek face Barbora Krejcikova while Coco Gauff will take on Jessica Pegula in an all-American clash.