The 2026 WTA Tour season is coming to a close, but for eight singles players there is one more task at hand: the WTA Finals in Indian Wells.

The tournament was dealt a significant blow on Saturday with Elena Rybakina, the year-end world No 1 and defending WTA Finals champion, forced to withdraw from the championships due to a viral illness.

However, action is still set to get underway to a strong start on Sunday, with Marta Kostyuk — Rybakina’s replacement — set to face Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova in the opening singles match, before 2024 WTA Finals champion Coco Gauff faces Jessica Pegula later in the day.

With Aryna Sabalenka, French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, Elina Svitolina, and Karolina Muchova also competing in Indian Wells, it promises to be a thrilling week of action in Tennis Paradise.

One of the most prestigious titles in tennis is at stake, and there are significant ranking points and prize money on offer.

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How ranking points work at 2026 WTA Finals

Significant ranking points are on offer at the year-end championships, with a potential maximum of 1,500 points on offer for whoever triumphs in Indian Wells — the biggest number of points on offer outside of the four Grand Slam tournaments.

All eight singles players will start from scratch, with no points automatically awarded for qualifying.

Instead, 200 ranking points are on offer for each win during the round robin stage, meaning a player who wins all three matches would bank 600 ranking points ahead of the semi-final stage.

A record of two wins and one loss would earn a player 400 ranking points, a record of one win and two losses would earn 200 ranking points, while zero points would be awarded to a player who loses all three matches.

At the semi-final stage, the two players who reach the final will earn a further 400 ranking points for their victories in the last four, while the two beaten players will not earn any extra ranking points on top of their round robin winnings.

In the final, the eventual champion will earn a further 500 ranking points on top of the 400 ranking points earned for their semi-final win, and whatever they earned in across the round robin stage.

Any player who wins all three round robin matches, the semi-final, and then the final would take home a staggering 1,500 ranking points — just as Rybakina did in Riyadh last year.

A player with a 2-1 win-loss record in the round robin stage would take home 1,300 ranking points if they won the title, while a player with a 1-2 record would take home 1,100 points should they go on to win the title.

Ranking points breakdown

Round robin win: 200 ranking points
Semi-final win: 400 ranking points
Final win: 500 ranking points
Unbeaten champion: 1,500 ranking points

How prize money works at the 2026 WTA Finals

As revealed earlier this week, there is a total prize money pool of $10,000,000 across the singles and doubles events in Indian Wells this week, a notable decrease of 35.5% on the $15,250,000 on offer in Riyadh last season.

Unlike with ranking points, all eight players are ensured of prize money regardless of match wins, with a set participation fee of $220,000 for all the singles players.

However, each round robin match is then worth a further $230,000 per win, meaning a player who goes unbeaten in her group would earn a total of $690,000 on top of their participant fee of $220,000 — a total of $910,000 ahead of the semi-final stage.

The two victorious semi-finalists in the women’s singles draws will then take home a further $820,000 in prize money, with another $1,640,000 then awarded to whoever prevails in the final and lifts the title.

An unbeaten champion in Indian Wells would take home $3,3700,00 in prize money.

Prize money breakdown

Participation fee: $220,000
Round robin win: $230,000 per win
Semi-final win: $820,000
Final win: $1,640,000
Unbeaten champion: $3,3700,00

WTA Finals Groups

Group 1: (4) Coco Gauff, (5), Jessica Pegula, (8) Linda Noskova, (9) Marta Kostyuk

Group 2: (2) Aryna Sabalenka, (3) Mirra Andreeva, (6) Elina Svitolina, (7) Karolina Muchova