WTA Finals - Sabalenka, Zheng, Rybakina and Paolini get the ball rolling in Riyadh!

The first day of competition at the last major women's event of the season gets underway this Saturday, November 2.

Bringing together the 8 best players of the season, it begins with the classic pool phase organized around two groups: Purple (Sabalenka, Zheng, Rybakina and Paolini) and Orange (Swiatek, Gauff, Pegula and Krejcikova).

The first singles will pit Aryna Sabalenka against Zheng Qinwen, the player in form at the end of the season, from 6:00 pm (local time). The stakes are high for the Belarusian, whose ambition is to finish the year as world number one for the first time in her career.

In the second singles, Elena Rybakina will face two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini. Hampered by a number of physical problems this season, the Kazakh is making her comeback after two months without competition. This is the third match between the two players in 2024, with one victory for each side so far.

The day promises to be rich in lessons.