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The draw for the group stage of the 2023 WTA Finals has been revealed, with Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff among the stars competing in Cancun.
Swiatek and Jessica Pegula, who were placed in separate groups, both gave their reaction to the draw for the groups, with play set to begin on Sunday.
World No 1 Sabalenka has been placed in the Bacalar Group along with No 4 seed Elena Rybakina, No 5 seed Jessica Pegula and No 8 seed Maria Sakkari.
Swiatek and Gauff – the world No 2 and 3 respectively – are in the Chetumal Group with sixth seed Ons Jabeur and seventh seed Marketa Vondrousova.
Wimbledon champions Rybakina and Vondrousova are making their debut at the WTA Finals, while the other six players all featured at the 2022 edition in Fort Worth.
A new winner of the year-end championships is guaranteed, with none of the eight participants having won the event before. In the 2022 final, Caroline Garcia – who did not qualify this year – defeated Sabalenka.
Swiatek, who was beaten by Sabalenka in the semi-finals last year, discussed being grouped with two players she has faced recently, as well as Jabeur who she has not.
“You’re not going to get any easy matches in WTA Finals,” said the four-time Grand Slam champion to the WTA website.
The groups are SET 🔒
What do you make of the 2023 GNP Seguros #WTAFinals draw? 👇 pic.twitter.com/7cmv7vjVXL
— wta (@WTA) October 28, 2023
“Obviously I faced Coco and Marketa in Beijing and US Open, so the only player I didn’t play recently is Ons. I just have to focus on myself and get used to the conditions here and everything should be fine.”
Swiatek and Gauff are very familiar opponents, having played nine times, including three times this year, with the Pole holding a commanding 8-1 head-to-head lead.
Pegula also gave her reaction to the group she is in and highlighted the powerful game possessed by both Sabalenka and Rybakina – opponents she has not played too often.
“Obviously with Aryna and Elena, it’s girls with power games and big servers, so it’s gonna be tricky. But I’m happy with my group. Aside from Maria, I actually haven’t played Aryna or Elena that much, so it’s going to be interesting,” assessed the American.
Karolina Muchova was the eighth qualifier for the WTA Finals, but was replaced by Sakkari after she was forced to withdraw due to a right wrist injury.
The tournament will be held from 29 October to 5 November at the Plaza Quintana Roo in Cancun, Mexico.
Bacalar Group
1. Aryna Sabalenka
4. Elena Rybakina
5. Jessica Pegula
8. Maria Sakkari
Chetumal Group
2. Iga Swiatek
3. Coco Gauff
6. Ons Jabeur
7. Marketa Vondrousova
READ MORE: WTA Rankings: The top five players over 35
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