The WTA Finals (formerly known as the WTA Tour Championships[3] or WTA Championships) is a tournament of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) played annually at the end of the season. The event is uniquely reserved for players at the top of the WTA rankings. The format predates WTA and started in 1972 as the Championship tournament of WTA Tour's predecessor: the Virginia Slims Circuit. Since 2003 there have been eight singles players divided into two round-robin groups, and eight doubles teams.
The WTA Finals has the largest prize money and ranking points after the majors. The most successful player is Martina Navratilova with 8 singles and 13 doubles titles.
The championships were held for the first time in October 1972 in Boca Raton, Florida (USA) as a climactic event at the end of a series of tournaments sponsored by Virginia Slims, called the Virginia Slims Circuit.[4] From 1972 to 1974, the event was held in October, before switching to March from 1975 until 1986. The WTA then decided to adopt a January–November playing season, and so the event was switched to being held at the end of each year. As a consequence, there were two championships held in 1986.
The event was held in Los Angeles, California from 1974 to 1976 before moving to Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1977. With the exception of a one-year move to Oakland, California in 1978, the Championships remained at MSG until 2000. The event then briefly moved to Munich, Germany in 2001. More recently, it moved back to Los Angeles from 2002 to 2005. The 2006 and 2007 editions were held in Madrid, Spain. Doha, Qatar hosted the 2008–2010 editions before passing the flag to Istanbul, Turkey, which hosted the 2011–2013 editions.[5] For the right to host the 2014 edition and beyond, 43 cities expressed an interest before a short list comprising Kazan, Russia; Mexico City, Mexico; Singapore; and Tianjin, China was drawn up in late 2012.[6] Kazan and Mexico City were ruled out in early 2013[7] before Singapore was announced in May 2013 as the new host city for five years.[8][9] In 2018, WTA announced the new host city from 2019 to 2028 will be Shenzhen, China,[10] however the 2020 event was canceled and the 2021 event was moved to Guadalajara, Mexico due to COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions.[11] In December 2021, WTA announced "immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, including Hong Kong", over concerns of Chinese government's treatment of tennis player Peng Shuai after she accused a top Communist Party leader of sexual assault.[12]
Format
From 1984 to 1998, the final of the championships was a best-of-five-sets match, making it the only tournament on the women's tour to have had a best-of-five match at any round of the competition.[13] It was the first time since the 1901 U.S. National Championships that the best-of-five format was used in women's matches.[14] In 1999, the final reverted to being a best-of-three-sets match. From the 1974 until the 1982 edition the doubles draw consisted of four teams; then from 1983 to 2002 the draw increased to eight teams; was decreased back to four teams until 2013 and from the 2014 edition onward it has been made up of eight teams. From its first inception in 1973 until 2018 the doubles draw was played in a single elimination format. In 2015 and from 2019 until the present the doubles draw has been played in a round robin format.[9]
Qualified players and teams participate in a round-robin format in two groups of four. The winners and runners-up of each group advance to the semifinals. The semifinal winners progress through to the finals where they compete for the title.
Qualification
To qualify for the WTA Finals, WTA players compete throughout the year in over 53 WTA tournaments throughout the world, as well as the four Grand Slam events. Players earn ranking points on the Porsche Race To Shenzhen leaderboard, and the top 7 singles players (and usually top 8) and top 8 doubles teams on this leaderboard at the conclusion of the year (as of the Monday following the final regular season tournament) earn the right to compete in the WTA Championships. For singles, all results from that year count towards a player's ranking. The eighth spot in singles is not guaranteed a place in the finals as the WTA has some leeway per the WTA rules.[15]
In the singles, point totals are calculated by combining point totals from 16 tournaments (excluding ITF and WTA 125 tournaments). Of these sixteen tournaments, a player's results: from the four Grand Slam events, the four WTA 1000 tournaments with 1,000 points for the winner, and (for the players who played the main draw at least in 2 such tournaments) the best results from two WTA 1000 tournaments with 900 points maximum must be included as well as points from 6 other countable tournaments. In the doubles, point totals are calculated by any combination of eleven tournaments throughout the year, not abiding to the mandatory Grand-Slam or Premier-level tournaments rule like for singles.[16]
^ abRR means prize money or points won in the round robin round.
An undefeated champion would earn the maximum 1,500 points, and $1,680,000 in singles or $360,000 in doubles.
Since 2014, the singles and doubles winners of the tournament receive the Billie Jean King Trophy[18][19] and the Martina Navratilova trophy,[20][21] respectively.
List of finals
Singles
‡ From 1984 to 1998, the final match in singles was uniquely held in a best-of-five-sets format.[9]
^As of 1 March 2022, the WTA announced that players from Belarus will not compete in tournaments under the name or flag of Belarus due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[22]
^As of 1 March 2022, the WTA announced that players from Russia will not compete in tournaments under the name or flag of Russia due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[22]
^In 1986 the WTA adopted a January–November playing season, thereby the event switched to being held at the end of each year. Consequently, there were two championships held in 1986. First edition was played in March.[23]
^ abIn 1986 the WTA adopted a January–November playing season, thereby the event switched to being held at the end of each year. Consequently, there were two championships held in 1986. First edition was played in March.[23]
^As of 1 March 2022, the WTA announced that players from Russia will not compete in tournaments under the name or flag of Russia due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[22]
Winning three or two out of the four Year-ending championships since its inception in 1972: WTA Championships/Finals, Series-Ending Championships, Grand Slam Cup, WTA Tournament of Champions/Elite Trophy indicated in bold.
Double crown
Winning the Year-end championships in both singles and doubles in the same year.
^In 1986 the event was held twice because of a change of schedule by the WTA. First edition was played in March, the second in November. Navratilova would go on to win the second edition in both singles and doubles that year.[23]
^"WTA Tour 2021 Media Guide" (PDF). WTA Tour. p. 20. (PDF) from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
^"WTA Finals 2022: Dates, prize money, format and everything you need to know". Women's Tennis Association. from the original on 2022-10-26. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
^(PDF). www.wtatennis.com. May 27, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 6, 2014.
^ ab(PDF). WTA Tour. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2014.
^"2011 Calendar Announced". WTA Tour. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
^(PDF). www.wtatennis.com. WTA. 29 January 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2014.
^"Three cities still in running to host WTA Championships". www.wtatennis.com. WTA.
^"WTA picks Singapore to host its tennis Championships from 2014". BBC News. 8 May 2013.
^ abc"2021 SHISEIDO WTA FINALS SHENZHEN". www.shiseidowtafinalsshenzhen.com. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
^"Shenzhen, China to host WTA Finals starting in 2019". Retrieved 2021-12-02.
^"2021 WTA Finals moved from Shenzhen to Guadalajara". Reuters. 2021-09-13. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
^Futterman, Matthew (2021-12-01). "WTA Suspends Tournaments in China Over Treatment of Peng Shuai". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
^. Women's Tennis Association (WTA). 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
^"It's the Way It's (Almost) Always Been". New York Times. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
^(PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2017.
^"2022 WTA Official Rulebook" (PDF). WTA. (PDF) from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
^"WTA Finals 2022: Dates, prize money, format and everything you need to know". Women's Tennis Association. from the original on 2022-10-26.
^"BILLIE JEAN KING NAMED OFFICIAL AMBASSADOR OF WTA FINALS IN SINGAPORE". AFRICAN SPORTS MONTHLY. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 2021-11-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Makers of Billie Jean King Trophy | WTA Finals | Tennis | Thomas Lyte - Thomas Lyte". www.thomaslyte.com. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
^Merrell, Chloe (7 November 2021). "WTA Tour Finals 2021 preview: everything you need to know". Olympics.com. Retrieved 2021-11-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Evert, Navratilova to serve as WTA Finals legend ambassadors". Women's Tennis Association. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ abc"Joint Statement by the International Governing Bodies of Tennis". ATP. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
^ abc"About WTA Finals". Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara. from the original on 2021-11-11.
^"WTA Finals 2021: By the Numbers - Tennis Now". www.tennisnow.com. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"November 18, 1990: Seles and Sabatini go five". www.tennismajors.com. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 2021-11-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Return Winners: A look back at the 1990 WTA Finals". www.tennis.com. 29 October 2016. Retrieved 2021-11-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ ab"Venus outlasts Ostapenko in marathon Singapore epic". www.wtatennis.com. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 2021-11-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
finals, formerly, known, tour, championships, championships, tournament, women, tennis, association, played, annually, season, event, uniquely, reserved, players, rankings, format, predates, started, 1972, championship, tournament, tour, predecessor, virginia,. The WTA Finals formerly known as the WTA Tour Championships 3 or WTA Championships is a tournament of the Women s Tennis Association WTA played annually at the end of the season The event is uniquely reserved for players at the top of the WTA rankings The format predates WTA and started in 1972 as the Championship tournament of WTA Tour s predecessor the Virginia Slims Circuit Since 2003 there have been eight singles players divided into two round robin groups and eight doubles teams WTA FinalsTournament informationFounded1972 51 years ago 1972 Editions51 2022 LocationFort Worth United States 2022 CategoryWTA Finals 1 SurfaceHard outdoorsDraw8S 8D since 2014 Prize money 5 000 000 2022 2 Websitewtafinals comCurrent champions 2022 SinglesCaroline GarciaDoublesVeronika Kudermetova Elise MertensThe WTA Finals has the largest prize money and ranking points after the majors The most successful player is Martina Navratilova with 8 singles and 13 doubles titles Contents 1 Tournament 1 1 History 1 2 Format 1 3 Qualification 1 4 Venues 2 Prize money and points 3 List of finals 3 1 Singles 3 2 Doubles 4 Titles by country 4 1 Singles 5 List of champions 5 1 Singles 5 2 Doubles 6 Records and statistics 6 1 Singles 6 2 Youngest amp oldest champions 6 3 Longest and shortest matches 6 3 1 Singles 6 3 2 Doubles 7 Year end championships double amp triple 7 1 Double crown 7 2 Year end championships triple 7 3 WTA Championships Series Ending Championships Double 7 4 WTA Championships Grand Slam Cup Double 7 5 WTA Championships WTA Elite Trophy Double 7 6 Grand Slam Cup WTA Elite Trophy Double 8 Sponsors 9 See also 10 References 11 External linksTournament EditHistory Edit The championships were held for the first time in October 1972 in Boca Raton Florida USA as a climactic event at the end of a series of tournaments sponsored by Virginia Slims called the Virginia Slims Circuit 4 From 1972 to 1974 the event was held in October before switching to March from 1975 until 1986 The WTA then decided to adopt a January November playing season and so the event was switched to being held at the end of each year As a consequence there were two championships held in 1986 The event was held in Los Angeles California from 1974 to 1976 before moving to Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1977 With the exception of a one year move to Oakland California in 1978 the Championships remained at MSG until 2000 The event then briefly moved to Munich Germany in 2001 More recently it moved back to Los Angeles from 2002 to 2005 The 2006 and 2007 editions were held in Madrid Spain Doha Qatar hosted the 2008 2010 editions before passing the flag to Istanbul Turkey which hosted the 2011 2013 editions 5 For the right to host the 2014 edition and beyond 43 cities expressed an interest before a short list comprising Kazan Russia Mexico City Mexico Singapore and Tianjin China was drawn up in late 2012 6 Kazan and Mexico City were ruled out in early 2013 7 before Singapore was announced in May 2013 as the new host city for five years 8 9 In 2018 WTA announced the new host city from 2019 to 2028 will be Shenzhen China 10 however the 2020 event was canceled and the 2021 event was moved to Guadalajara Mexico due to COVID 19 pandemic and travel restrictions 11 In December 2021 WTA announced immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China including Hong Kong over concerns of Chinese government s treatment of tennis player Peng Shuai after she accused a top Communist Party leader of sexual assault 12 Format Edit From 1984 to 1998 the final of the championships was a best of five sets match making it the only tournament on the women s tour to have had a best of five match at any round of the competition 13 It was the first time since the 1901 U S National Championships that the best of five format was used in women s matches 14 In 1999 the final reverted to being a best of three sets match From the 1974 until the 1982 edition the doubles draw consisted of four teams then from 1983 to 2002 the draw increased to eight teams was decreased back to four teams until 2013 and from the 2014 edition onward it has been made up of eight teams From its first inception in 1973 until 2018 the doubles draw was played in a single elimination format In 2015 and from 2019 until the present the doubles draw has been played in a round robin format 9 Qualified players and teams participate in a round robin format in two groups of four The winners and runners up of each group advance to the semifinals The semifinal winners progress through to the finals where they compete for the title Qualification Edit To qualify for the WTA Finals WTA players compete throughout the year in over 53 WTA tournaments throughout the world as well as the four Grand Slam events Players earn ranking points on the Porsche Race To Shenzhen leaderboard and the top 7 singles players and usually top 8 and top 8 doubles teams on this leaderboard at the conclusion of the year as of the Monday following the final regular season tournament earn the right to compete in the WTA Championships For singles all results from that year count towards a player s ranking The eighth spot in singles is not guaranteed a place in the finals as the WTA has some leeway per the WTA rules 15 In the singles point totals are calculated by combining point totals from 16 tournaments excluding ITF and WTA 125 tournaments Of these sixteen tournaments a player s results from the four Grand Slam events the four WTA 1000 tournaments with 1 000 points for the winner and for the players who played the main draw at least in 2 such tournaments the best results from two WTA 1000 tournaments with 900 points maximum must be included as well as points from 6 other countable tournaments In the doubles point totals are calculated by any combination of eleven tournaments throughout the year not abiding to the mandatory Grand Slam or Premier level tournaments rule like for singles 16 Venues Edit Years City Country Venue Surface Capacity1972 1973 Boca Raton United States Boca Raton Hotel amp Club Clay1974 1976 Los Angeles United States Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Carpet 14 8001977 New York City United States Madison Square Garden Carpet 18 0001978 Oakland United States Oakland Arena Carpet 13 2001979 2000 New York City United States Madison Square Garden Carpet 18 0002001 Munich Germany Olympiahalle Hard i 12 0002002 2005 Los Angeles United States Staples Center Hard i 17 0002006 2007 Madrid Spain Madrid Arena Hard i 10 5002008 2010 Doha Qatar Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex Hard 6 9112011 2013 Istanbul Turkey Sinan Erdem Dome Hard i 16 4102014 2018 Singapore Singapore Singapore Indoor Stadium Hard i 10 0002019 Shenzhen China Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Hard i 12 0002021 Guadalajara Mexico Panamerican Tennis Center Hard 6 6392022 Fort Worth United States Dickies Arena Hard i 14 000Prize money and points EditThe total prize money for the 2022 WTA Finals is US 5 000 000 The tables below are based on the updated draw sheet information 17 Stage Prize money PointsSingles Doubles a Champion RR b 1 240 000 RR b 250 000 RR 750Runner up RR 420 000 RR 80 000 RR 330Semifinalist RR 30 000 RR 5 000 RRRound robin win per match 110 000 20 000 250Round robin loss per match 125Participation Fee 110 000 50 000 Alternates 2 matches 1 match 0 matches 2 matches 1 match 0 matches Prize money for doubles is per team a b RR means prize money or points won in the round robin round An undefeated champion would earn the maximum 1 500 points and 1 680 000 in singles or 360 000 in doubles Since 2014 the singles and doubles winners of the tournament receive the Billie Jean King Trophy 18 19 and the Martina Navratilova trophy 20 21 respectively List of finals EditSingles Edit From 1984 to 1998 the final match in singles was uniquely held in a best of five sets format 9 Year Champion Runner up Score1972 Chris Evert 1 4 Kerry Melville 7 5 6 41973 Chris Evert 2 4 Nancy Richey Gunter 6 3 6 31974 Evonne Goolagong 1 2 Chris Evert 6 3 6 41975 Chris Evert 3 4 Martina Navratilova 6 4 6 21976 Evonne Goolagong Cawley 2 2 Chris Evert 6 3 5 7 6 31977 Chris Evert 4 4 Sue Barker 2 6 6 1 6 11978 Martina Navratilova 1 8 Evonne Goolagong Cawley 7 6 7 2 6 41979 Martina Navratilova 2 8 Tracy Austin 6 3 3 6 6 21980 Tracy Austin Martina Navratilova 6 2 2 6 6 21981 Martina Navratilova 3 8 Andrea Jaeger 6 3 7 6 7 3 1982 Sylvia Hanika Martina Navratilova 1 6 6 3 6 41983 Martina Navratilova 4 8 Chris Evert 6 2 6 01984 Martina Navratilova 5 8 Chris Evert 6 3 7 5 6 11985 Martina Navratilova 6 8 Helena Sukova 6 3 7 5 6 41986 Mar Martina Navratilova 7 8 Hana Mandlikova 6 2 6 0 3 6 6 11986 Nov Martina Navratilova 8 8 Steffi Graf 7 6 8 6 6 3 6 21987 Steffi Graf 1 5 Gabriela Sabatini 4 6 6 4 6 0 6 41988 Gabriela Sabatini 1 2 Pam Shriver 7 5 6 2 6 21989 Steffi Graf 2 5 Martina Navratilova 6 4 7 5 2 6 6 21990 Monica Seles 1 3 Gabriela Sabatini 6 4 5 7 3 6 6 4 6 21991 Monica Seles 2 3 Martina Navratilova 6 4 3 6 7 5 6 01992 Monica Seles 3 3 Martina Navratilova 7 5 6 3 6 11993 Steffi Graf 3 5 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6 1 6 4 3 6 6 11994 Gabriela Sabatini 2 2 Lindsay Davenport 6 3 6 2 6 41995 Steffi Graf 4 5 Anke Huber 6 1 2 6 6 1 4 6 6 31996 Steffi Graf 5 5 Martina Hingis 6 3 4 6 6 0 4 6 6 01997 Jana Novotna Mary Pierce 7 6 7 4 6 2 6 31998 Martina Hingis 1 2 Lindsay Davenport 7 5 6 4 4 6 6 21999 Lindsay Davenport Martina Hingis 6 4 6 22000 Martina Hingis 2 2 Monica Seles 6 7 5 7 6 4 6 42001 Serena Williams 1 5 Lindsay Davenport walkover2002 Kim Clijsters 1 3 Serena Williams 7 5 6 32003 Kim Clijsters 2 3 Amelie Mauresmo 6 2 6 02004 Maria Sharapova Serena Williams 4 6 6 2 6 42005 Amelie Mauresmo Mary Pierce 5 7 7 6 7 3 6 42006 Justine Henin 1 2 Amelie Mauresmo 6 4 6 32007 Justine Henin 2 2 Maria Sharapova 5 7 7 5 6 32008 Venus Williams Vera Zvonareva 6 7 5 7 6 0 6 22009 Serena Williams 2 5 Venus Williams 6 2 7 6 7 4 2010 Kim Clijsters 3 3 Caroline Wozniacki 6 3 5 7 6 32011 Petra Kvitova Victoria Azarenka 7 5 4 6 6 32012 Serena Williams 3 5 Maria Sharapova 6 4 6 32013 Serena Williams 4 5 Li Na 2 6 6 3 6 02014 Serena Williams 5 5 Simona Halep 6 3 6 02015 Agnieszka Radwanska Petra Kvitova 6 2 4 6 6 32016 Dominika Cibulkova Angelique Kerber 6 3 6 42017 Caroline Wozniacki Venus Williams 6 4 6 42018 Elina Svitolina Sloane Stephens 3 6 6 2 6 22019 Ashleigh Barty Elina Svitolina 6 4 6 32020 no competition due to the COVID 19 pandemic2021 Garbine Muguruza Anett Kontaveit 6 3 7 52022 Caroline Garcia Aryna Sabalenka a 7 6 7 4 6 4Doubles Edit Year Champions Runners up Score1972 no doubles played1973 Rosemary Casals 1 2 Margaret Court 1 2 Francoise Durr Betty Stove 6 2 6 41974 Rosemary Casals 2 2 Billie Jean King 1 4 Francoise Durr Betty Stove 6 1 6 7 2 7 7 51975 Margaret Court 2 2 Virginia Wade Rosemary Casals Billie Jean King 6 7 2 7 7 6 7 2 6 21976 Billie Jean King 2 4 Betty Stove 1 3 Mona Guerrant Ann Kiyomura 6 3 6 21977 Martina Navratilova 1 13 Betty Stove 2 3 Francoise Durr Virginia Wade 7 5 6 31978 Billie Jean King 3 4 Martina Navratilova 2 13 Francoise Durr Virginia Wade 6 4 6 41979 Francoise Durr Betty Stove 3 3 Sue Barker Ann Kiyomura 7 6 7 61980 Billie Jean King 4 4 Martina Navratilova 3 13 Rosemary Casals Wendy Turnbull 6 3 4 6 6 31981 Martina Navratilova 4 13 Pam Shriver 1 10 Barbara Potter Sharon Walsh 6 0 7 6 8 6 1982 Martina Navratilova 5 13 Pam Shriver 2 10 Kathy Jordan Anne Smith 6 4 6 31983 Martina Navratilova 6 13 Pam Shriver 3 10 Claudia Kohde Kilsch Eva Pfaff 7 5 6 21984 Martina Navratilova 7 13 Pam Shriver 4 10 Jo Durie Ann Kiyomura 6 3 6 11985 Martina Navratilova 8 13 Pam Shriver 5 10 Claudia Kohde Kilsch Helena Sukova 6 7 4 7 6 4 7 6 7 5 1986 Mar Hana Mandlikova Wendy Turnbull Claudia Kohde Kilsch Helena Sukova 6 4 6 7 4 7 6 31986 Nov Martina Navratilova 9 13 Pam Shriver 6 10 Claudia Kohde Kilsch Helena Sukova 7 6 7 1 6 31987 Martina Navratilova 10 13 Pam Shriver 7 10 Claudia Kohde Kilsch Helena Sukova 6 1 6 11988 Martina Navratilova 11 13 Pam Shriver 8 10 Larisa Savchenko Natalia Zvereva 6 3 6 41989 Martina Navratilova 12 13 Pam Shriver 9 10 Larisa Savchenko Natalia Zvereva 6 3 6 21990 Kathy Jordan Elizabeth Smylie Mercedes Paz Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 7 6 7 4 6 41991 Martina Navratilova 13 13 Pam Shriver 10 10 Gigi Fernandez Jana Novotna 4 6 7 5 6 41992 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 1 2 Helena Sukova Jana Novotna Larisa Savchenko Neiland 7 6 7 4 6 11993 Gigi Fernandez 1 2 Natalia Zvereva 1 3 Jana Novotna Larisa Neiland 6 3 7 51994 Gigi Fernandez 2 2 Natasha Zvereva 2 3 Jana Novotna Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6 3 6 7 4 7 6 31995 Jana Novotna 1 2 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 2 2 Gigi Fernandez Natasha Zvereva 6 2 6 11996 Lindsay Davenport 1 3 Mary Joe Fernandez Jana Novotna Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6 3 6 21997 Lindsay Davenport 2 3 Jana Novotna 2 2 Alexandra Fusai Nathalie Tauziat 6 7 5 7 6 3 6 21998 Lindsay Davenport 3 3 Natasha Zvereva 3 3 Alexandra Fusai Nathalie Tauziat 6 7 6 8 7 5 6 31999 Martina Hingis 1 3 Anna Kournikova 1 2 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario Larisa Neiland 6 4 6 42000 Martina Hingis 2 3 Anna Kournikova 2 2 Nicole Arendt Manon Bollegraf 6 2 6 32001 Lisa Raymond 1 4 Rennae Stubbs Cara Black Elena Likhovtseva 7 5 3 6 6 32002 Elena Dementieva Janette Husarova Cara Black Elena Likhovtseva 4 6 6 4 6 32003 Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suarez Kim Clijsters Ai Sugiyama 6 4 3 6 6 32004 Nadia Petrova 1 2 Meghann Shaughnessy Cara Black Rennae Stubbs 7 5 6 22005 Lisa Raymond 2 4 Samantha Stosur 1 2 Cara Black Rennae Stubbs 6 7 5 7 7 5 6 42006 Lisa Raymond 3 4 Samantha Stosur 2 2 Cara Black Rennae Stubbs 3 6 6 3 6 32007 Cara Black 1 3 Liezel Huber 1 3 Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama 5 7 6 3 10 8 2008 Cara Black 2 3 Liezel Huber 2 3 Kveta Peschke Rennae Stubbs 6 1 7 52009 Nuria Llagostera Vives Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez Cara Black Liezel Huber 7 6 7 0 5 7 10 7 2010 Gisela Dulko Flavia Pennetta Kveta Peschke Katarina Srebotnik 7 5 6 42011 Liezel Huber 3 3 Lisa Raymond 4 4 Kveta Peschke Katarina Srebotnik 6 4 6 42012 Maria Kirilenko Nadia Petrova 2 2 Andrea Hlavackova Lucie Hradecka 6 1 6 42013 Hsieh Su wei Peng Shuai Ekaterina Makarova Elena Vesnina 6 4 7 52014 Cara Black 3 3 Sania Mirza 1 2 Hsieh Su wei Peng Shuai 6 1 6 02015 Martina Hingis 3 3 Sania Mirza 2 2 Garbine Muguruza Carla Suarez Navarro 6 0 6 32016 Ekaterina Makarova Elena Vesnina Bethanie Mattek Sands Lucie Safarova 7 6 7 5 6 32017 Timea Babos 1 3 Andrea Hlavackova Kiki Bertens Johanna Larsson 4 6 6 4 10 5 2018 Timea Babos 2 3 Kristina Mladenovic 1 2 Barbora Krejcikova Katerina Siniakova 6 4 7 52019 Timea Babos 3 3 Kristina Mladenovic 2 2 Hsieh Su wei Barbora Strycova 6 1 6 32020 no competition due to the COVID 19 pandemic2021 Barbora Krejcikova Katerina Siniakova Hsieh Su wei Elise Mertens 6 3 6 42022 Veronika Kudermetova b Elise Mertens Barbora Krejcikova Katerina Siniakova 6 2 4 6 11 9 As of 1 March 2022 the WTA announced that players from Belarus will not compete in tournaments under the name or flag of Belarus due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine 22 As of 1 March 2022 the WTA announced that players from Russia will not compete in tournaments under the name or flag of Russia due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine 22 Titles by country EditSingles Edit Titles won Country Years Won17 United States 1972 73 75 77 80 83 84 85 86 Mar a 86 Nov b 99 2001 08 09 12 13 146 West Germany Germany 1982 87 89 1993 95 965 Belgium 2002 03 06 07 10 Czechoslovakia Czech Republic 1978 79 81 1997 20113 Yugoslavia FR Yugoslavia 1990 91 1992 Australia 1974 76 20192 Argentina 1988 94 Switzerland 1998 2000 France 2005 221 Russia 2004 Poland 2015 Slovakia 2016 Denmark 2017 Ukraine 2018 Spain 2021 In 1986 the WTA adopted a January November playing season thereby the event switched to being held at the end of each year Consequently there were two championships held in 1986 First edition was played in March 23 Second edition was played in November List of champions EditSingles Edit Titles Player Champion8 Martina Navratilova 1978 79 81 83 86 Nov a b 5 Steffi Graf 1987 89 93 95 96 Serena Williams 2001 09 12 144 Chris Evert 1972 73 75 773 Monica Seles 1990 92 Kim Clijsters 2002 03 102 Evonne Goolagong Cawley 1974 76 Gabriela Sabatini 1988 94 Martina Hingis 1998 2000 Justine Henin 2006 071 Tracy Austin 1980 Sylvia Hanika 1982 Jana Novotna 1997 Lindsay Davenport 1999 Maria Sharapova 2004 Amelie Mauresmo 2005 Venus Williams 2008 Petra Kvitova 2011 Agnieszka Radwanska 2015 Dominika Cibulkova 2016 Caroline Wozniacki 2017 Elina Svitolina 2018 Ashleigh Barty 2019 Garbine Muguruza 2021 Caroline Garcia 2022 Doubles Edit Titles Player Champion13 Martina Navratilova 1977 78 80 86 Nov b 87 89 9110 Pam Shriver 1981 86 Nov b 87 89 914 Billie Jean King 1974 76 78 80 Lisa Raymond 2001 05 06 113 Betty Stove 1976 77 79 Natasha Zvereva 1993 94 98 Lindsay Davenport 1996 98 Liezel Huber 2007 08 11 Cara Black 2007 08 14 Martina Hingis 1999 00 2015 Timea Babos 2017 192 Rosemary Casals 1973 74 Margaret Court 1973 75 Gigi Fernandez 1993 94 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 1992 95 Jana Novotna 1995 97 Anna Kournikova 1999 00 Samantha Stosur 2005 06 Nadia Petrova 2004 12 Sania Mirza 2014 15 Kristina Mladenovic 2018 191 Virginia Wade 1975 Francoise Durr 1979 Wendy Turnbull Hana Mandlikova 1986 Mar a Kathy Jordan Elizabeth Smylie 1990 Helena Sukova 1992 Mary Joe Fernandez 1996 Rennae Stubbs 2001 Elena Dementieva Janette Husarova 2002 Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suarez 2003 Meghann Shaughnessy 2004 Nuria Llagostera Vives Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 2009 Gisela Dulko Flavia Pennetta 2010 Maria Kirilenko 2012 Hsieh Su wei Peng Shuai 2013 Ekaterina Makarova Elena Vesnina 2016 Andrea Hlavackova 2017 Barbora Krejcikova Katerina Siniakova 2021 Veronika Kudermetova c Elise Mertens 2022 a b In 1986 the WTA adopted a January November playing season thereby the event switched to being held at the end of each year Consequently there were two championships held in 1986 First edition was played in March 23 a b c Second edition was played in November As of 1 March 2022 the WTA announced that players from Russia will not compete in tournaments under the name or flag of Russia due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine 22 Records and statistics EditNote Active players indicated in bold Singles Edit Titles8 Martina Navratilova5 Steffi Graf Serena Williams4 Chris Evert3 Monica Seles Kim Clijsters Finals14 Martina Navratilova8 Chris Evert7 Serena Williams6 Steffi Graf4 Gabriela Sabatini Monica Seles Martina Hingis Lindsay Davenport Matches won60 Martina Navratilova34 Chris Evert31 Steffi Graf29 Serena Williams21 Gabriela Sabatini Editions played21 Martina Navratilova13 Chris Evert Steffi Graf Arantxa Sanchez12 Zina Garrison Conchita MartinezYoungest amp oldest champions Edit Singles 24 Youngest Monica Seles 16 years 11 months 1990Oldest Serena Williams 33 years 1 month 2014Doubles Youngest Anna Kournikova 18 years 5 months 1999Oldest Lisa Raymond 38 years 2 months 2011Longest and shortest matches Edit Singles Edit Best of five sets system Longest match by time played1990 final 3 hours and 47 minutes 25 26 Monica Seles 6 5 3 6 6 Gabriela Sabatini 4 7 6 4 2Best of three sets system Longest match by time played 27 2012 round robin 3 hours and 29 minutes Agnieszka Radwanska 66 7 6 Sara Errani 78 5 4Longest match by games won 27 2017 round robin 37 games Venus Williams 7 63 7 Jelena Ostapenko 5 77 5 Shortest match by games won2007 round robin 12 games Justine Henin 6 6 Marion Bartoli 0 0Doubles Edit Longest match by games won1985 final 36 games Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver 64 6 77 Claudia Kohde Kilsch Helena Sukova 77 4 65 Shortest match by games won2014 final 13 games Cara Black Sania Mirza 6 6 Hsieh Su wei Peng Shuai 1 0Year end championships double amp triple EditWinning three or two out of the four Year ending championships since its inception in 1972 WTA Championships Finals Series Ending Championships Grand Slam Cup WTA Tournament of Champions Elite Trophy indicated in bold Double crown Edit Winning the Year end championships in both singles and doubles in the same year No Player Years won5 Martina Navratilova 1978 1983 1984 1985 1986 Nov a 1 Jana Novotna 1997 Martina Hingis 2000 In 1986 the event was held twice because of a change of schedule by the WTA First edition was played in March the second in November Navratilova would go on to win the second edition in both singles and doubles that year 23 Year end championships triple Edit No Player WTA Championships Finals Grand Slam Cup WTA Elite Trophy1 Venus Williams 2008 1998 2015WTA Championships Series Ending Championships Double Edit No Player WTA Championships Finals Series Ending Championships1 Chris Evert 1972 19772 Martina Navratilova 1978 19793 Tracy Austin 1980 1980WTA Championships Grand Slam Cup Double Edit No Player WTA Championships Finals Grand Slam Cup1 Serena Williams 2001 19992 Venus Williams a 2008 1998 she later completed a YEC Triple WTA Championships WTA Elite Trophy Double Edit No Player WTA Championships Finals WTA Elite Trophy1 Venus Williams a 2008 20152 Petra Kvitova 2011 20163 Ashleigh Barty 2019 2018 with the 2015 WTA Elite Trophy she also completed a YEC Triple Grand Slam Cup WTA Elite Trophy Double Edit No Player Grand Slam Cup WTA Elite Trophy1 Venus Williams a 1998 2015 with the 2015 WTA Elite Trophy she also completed a YEC Triple Sponsors EditThe event has a more than 40 year history of corporate sponsorship with the finals named after the sponsoring company 4 Years Sponsor Name Refs1972 1978 Virginia Slims Virginia Slims Championships1979 1982 Avon Avon Championships1983 1994 Virginia Slims Virginia Slims Championships1995 None WTA Tour Championships1996 2000 Chase Chase Championships2001 Sanex Sanex Championships2002 The Home Depot Home Depot Championships2003 Bank of America Bank of America WTA Tour Championships2004 None WTA Tour Championships2005 2010 Sony Ericsson Sony Ericsson Championships2011 2013 BNP Paribas and Turk Ekonomi Bankasi TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships Istanbul2014 2018 BNP Paribas and SC Global BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global 28 2019 Shiseido Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen 29 2021 Akron Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara 30 2022 Hologic Hologic WTA Finals Fort Worth 31 See also EditToyota Championships WTA Finals appearances WTA Elite Trophy ATP FinalsReferences Edit WTA Tour 2021 Media Guide PDF WTA Tour p 20 Archived PDF from the original on 13 February 2021 Retrieved 18 November 2021 WTA Finals 2022 Dates prize money format and everything you need to know Women s Tennis Association Archived from the original on 2022 10 26 Retrieved 31 October 2022 WTA re launches year end Championships as WTA Finals PDF www wtatennis com May 27 2014 Archived from the original PDF on November 6 2014 a b TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup PDF WTA Tour Archived from the original PDF on 1 August 2014 2011 Calendar Announced WTA Tour 2 July 2010 Retrieved 4 December 2010 WTA narrows 2014 Championships host field to three finalists PDF www wtatennis com WTA 29 January 2013 Archived from the original PDF on 8 December 2014 Three cities still in running to host WTA Championships www wtatennis com WTA WTA picks Singapore to host its tennis Championships from 2014 BBC News 8 May 2013 a b c 2021 SHISEIDO WTA FINALS SHENZHEN www shiseidowtafinalsshenzhen com Retrieved 2021 11 11 Shenzhen China to host WTA Finals starting in 2019 Retrieved 2021 12 02 2021 WTA Finals moved from Shenzhen to Guadalajara Reuters 2021 09 13 Retrieved 2021 12 02 Futterman Matthew 2021 12 01 WTA Suspends Tournaments in China Over Treatment of Peng Shuai The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2021 12 02 40 Love History Five Set Finals Women s Tennis Association WTA 18 October 2013 Archived from the original on 9 August 2016 Retrieved 3 June 2016 It s the Way It s Almost Always Been New York Times 3 September 2012 Retrieved 26 September 2012 WTA Finals and WTA Elite Trophy rules PDF Archived from the original PDF on 21 September 2017 2022 WTA Official Rulebook PDF WTA Archived PDF from the original on 26 October 2022 Retrieved 31 October 2022 WTA Finals 2022 Dates prize money format and everything you need to know Women s Tennis Association Archived from the original on 2022 10 26 BILLIE JEAN KING NAMED OFFICIAL AMBASSADOR OF WTA FINALS IN SINGAPORE AFRICAN SPORTS MONTHLY 30 June 2014 Retrieved 2021 11 08 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Makers of Billie Jean King Trophy WTA Finals Tennis Thomas Lyte Thomas Lyte www thomaslyte com Retrieved 2021 11 08 Merrell Chloe 7 November 2021 WTA Tour Finals 2021 preview everything you need to know Olympics com Retrieved 2021 11 08 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Evert Navratilova to serve as WTA Finals legend ambassadors Women s Tennis Association 4 November 2021 Retrieved 2021 11 08 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b c Joint Statement by the International Governing Bodies of Tennis ATP Retrieved 1 March 2022 a b c About WTA Finals Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara Archived from the original on 2021 11 11 WTA Finals 2021 By the Numbers Tennis Now www tennisnow com 9 November 2021 Retrieved 2021 11 11 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link November 18 1990 Seles and Sabatini go five www tennismajors com 18 November 2020 Retrieved 2021 11 12 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Return Winners A look back at the 1990 WTA Finals www tennis com 29 October 2016 Retrieved 2021 11 12 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b Venus outlasts Ostapenko in marathon Singapore epic www wtatennis com 24 October 2017 Retrieved 2021 11 11 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a, 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