The WTA end-of-year Finals are shaping up with four Americans accounting for eight of the potential places in the biggest competition of the season. 

For the first time since the 2002 campaign, we could have four Americans competing in the high-profile tournament, which is being played for the second consecutive year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

There is over 15 million dollars in the pot this season, and last year, Coco Gauff broke the record for the highest amount earned in the event, cashing a $4.8M check after winning the whole shabang!

Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff have accumulated enough points to qualify for the end-of-year finals. Five other ladies are fighting to join them when the field of eight is finalized. Players are awarded $335,000 just for appearing in the end-of-year finals, and the more wins you accumulate, the more money you can earn. 

With each win in the pair of 4-way round-robin brackets, another $350,000 can be pocketed, and the two finalists will receive $1,270,000. A cool $3,770,000 will go to the winner, and Coco Gauff has a chance to defend her title after last year’s win.

The last time four Americans appeared in the end-of-year finals was 2002, when Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Jennifer Capriati, and Monica Seles took up four of the eight spots to fill the field. 

This year, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Amanda Anisimova, and Coco Gauff are all expected to finish the year playing for what may not be a Major title, as they are all ranked in the top-8 with only a month before the competition is played.

Mirra Andreeva and Elena Rybakina are currently holding the 7th and 8th positions for the event. Jasmine Paolini and Ekaterina Alexandrova are close behind, looking to steal a spot, and the Italian was here last season, hoping to return in this year’s tournament. Jasmine Paolini can overtake Rybakina with a deep run this weekend, and she has a big battle with Amanda Anisimova in the quarterfinals in Beijing on October 3.

Danielle Collins and Emma Navarro both qualified to be alternates in last season’s end-of-year event, but the latter withdrew, and Collins never made an appearance. Jessica Pegula ended up withdrawing from the event after losing her first two Orange Group clashes, and Daria Kasatkina replaced her, picking up a loss in her only outing..

The health of Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula could be a factor for the pair of Americans. Keys was ousted in the round of 16 in Cincinnati, and has only played one match at the U.S Open since. Another first-round loss at the last Major tournament of the season has left Keys with the decision to compete in the end-of-year finals.

After skipping the China Open this week, Keys is expected to be in China for the Wuhan Open next week, so we will know what shape she is in with only a month left to play. Wuhan is the last WTA1000-level event on the 2025 WTA Tour, and only two more WTA500-level tournaments remain in the season. 

Jesiica Pegula is also a quarterfinalist in Beijing this week, so she is holding up so far, and hopes to compete should she earn a spot in this last big event of the 2025 campaign.

Elena Rybakina suffered a tough early round loss last Saturday in Beijing to Eva Lys, and that has opened the door for Jasmine Paolini to steal her eighth position.

With only so much tennis left to play, we will soon know which eight ladies will be competing in the end-of-year finals, so stay tuned because the next month will be full of nerves and expectations for the top-8 players in the world.