WTA Finals: Five records and milestones that could be shattered in Cancun

James Richardson 26 Oct 2023 5:52 PM

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in action

The WTA Finals are fast approaching and there will be opportunities for a number of players to make history in Cancun.

Some of these records and milestones are for individual achievements while others are national records.

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula out to double up

Coco Gauff or Jessica Pegula could become the first players in more than 20 years (and only the fourth in history) to win both the singles and doubles at the WTA finals.

Gauff and Pegula are a pairing in the doubles competition and entrants in the singles as well.

They will also be out to ensure that the United States extends its dominance over this event.

USA all the way

The United States boasts more WTA Finals winners than any other nation and will be banking on Gauff and Pegula to add to that success.

The US already has a total of 18 singles titles won but they haven’t tastes success at this event since 2014.

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic could tie Germany as the nation with the second most wins at the WTA finals singles matches if Marketa Vondrousova wins the tournament (Five Czech players have won thus for, so a win in 2023 would make it their sixth trophy). Czech-born Martina Navratilova won eight titles representing the United States.

From bridesmaid to bride

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka will set out to be the first player in more than 20 years to win WTA finals after finishing in second place the year prior.

The last player to do this was Martina Hingis, who won in 2000 after being runner up in 1999.

Sabalenka would also be the third player in the last ten years to reach back-to-back finals at WTA finals singles matches, thus joining Elina Svitolina and Serena Williams in that achievement.

Coco Gauff can break new ground

If she can triumph in Cancun, Coco Gauff will become the youngest winner in nearly 20 years as well as the youngest finalist since Maria Sharapovova, who won in 2004 at the age of 17.

Gauff will be 19 at the time of the tournament and could also become the first teenager to win 50+ matches in a calendar year since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009.

Gauff has won 49 matches in 2023 and so needs to one more win so signal her class.

Iga Swiatek to join elite clubs

Iga Swiatek could become the first player since Serena Williams to win more than 130 matches in a two-year span – Williams did so in the 2012-13 seasons when she won 136 matches in total.

Swiatek has won 63 matches this season after winning 67 in the 2022 campaign.

Iga Swiatek could join three other players that had the most top ten wins (matches against top ten WTA-ranked players) in two back-to-back seasons this century (Justine Henin, Serena Williams, Maria Sakkari) if she maintains her lead as the player with the most top ten wins in 2023 – at the moment she has eight to her name.