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The WTA announced its 2027 calendar on Thursday. It includes 55 events across 26 countries and territories, a new WTA 250 in Manila and equal prize money at every combined 1000 event for the first time. Rome, the Canadian Open and Cincinnati will join Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing as the last three combined 1000s to equalize. The United Cup and all four Grand Slams already pay equally. Rome is the symbolic case, since it had promised parity before and fallen short. The WTA’s 2023 roadmap targeted 2027 for combined 1000 and 500 events and 2033 for standalone tournaments at those levels.
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The financial context matters here. Recent reports said the Tour is burning through its cash reserves and could move into debt in 2027, so a pay commitment announced alongside that news is a statement of intent as much as a milestone. To back it up, the WTA is launching a Tournament Investment Fund that directs financial support to select tournaments in markets where it can have the greatest impact. How much money that fund holds, and where it comes from, was not detailed so hopefully more on that will unfold. The Tour’s stated strategy is equal prize money driven by commercial revenue, so 2027 will test whether the revenue arrives.
The calendar also responds to complaints about player workload:
- Top-50 players will need only four 500-level events instead of six, a base commitment of 14 tournaments plus the Slams.
- Players can replace one eligible 1000 result in their ranking with a better result from a 500 or 250.
- These changes are a one-season trial before the WTA decides whether to keep them.
- The WTA Finals will move to Charlotte, N.C., for at least three years from 2027 (which we already knew).
This news was the backdrop for a China Open that lost its top two seeds surprisingly in the first week. The tournament is the last 1000 of this size on the calendar, and the Race to Indian Wells is wide open behind Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka. The Finals were moved to Indian Wells (Nov. 8-15) after the Riyadh contract ended early over safety concerns tied to the 2026 Iran War. Rybakina and Sabalenka have already clinched, so the fight is over the remaining six places.
The opening days were the most disruptive Beijing has seen in quite some time. Defending champion Amanda Anisimova withdrew with a wrist injury before the draw began. Rybakina, newly world No. 1 and fresh from the U.S. Open title, lost her opening match in the second round to Alina Charaeva. Only Naomi Osaka in 2019 had previously done that as No. 1. Sabalenka went a day later, beaten 6-4, 6-3 by 20-year-old Nikola Bartunkova, who is ranked 34th. By WTA’s count, it was the first China Open since 2015 in which both top seeds missed the last 16. For Sabalenka it extends a poor run since Miami, and Bartunkova reached the last 16 without facing a break point in the second set.
The rest of the early rounds were less dramatic. Coco Gauff, the 2024 champion, beat 16-year-old wildcard Sun Xinran 7-5, 6-1. Sun had earlier upset Cristina Bucsa, which made her the best home story outside Zheng Qinwen. Zheng has had a harder time. She won her third straight three-setter against Marie Bouzkovรก, 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-5 in nearly three hours, and leads the tournament with 26 aces. She also said the crowd movement during points was affecting her. Iga ลwiฤ tek was a break down in the second set against Donna Vekiฤ before winning 4-6, 7-6(0), 6-2.
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Before Beijing, the Race stood roughly like this:
- Elena Rybakina (KAZ) (Qualified) – 7,492 points, 16 tournaments
- Aryna Sabalenka (Qualified) – 6,485, 16
- Jessica Pegula (USA) – 5,825, 16
- Mirra Andreeva – 5,722, 18
- Coco Gauff (USA) – 5,654, 16
- Elina Svitolina (UKR) – 4,809, 17
- Karolรญna Muchovรก (CZE) – 4,400, 16
- Linda Noskovรก (CZE) – 4,234, 16
- Marta Kostyuk (UKR) – 3,910, 16
- Iga ลwiฤ
tek (POL) – 3,584, 16
The Slam-champion rule shapes the cut line. The eighth place goes to the highest-ranked Grand Slam winner outside the top seven, provided she is inside the top 20. Noskovรก won Wimbledon, so as long as Andreeva stays in the top seven, Noskovรก is almost certain to qualify even from a lower position. In practice, everyone else is chasing seven places, not eight.
The Beijing points are stacked in rounds: 120 for the last 16, 215 for the quarter-finals, 390 for the semis, 650 for the final and 1,000 for the title. Pegula was absent in Beijing this year, so she is banking nothing this week. Anyone who gets deep can close on her. Andreeva is 103 behind, and Gauff is 171 behind. The three of them were already more than 800 points clear of the chasing pack, so a quarter-final or semi-final run in Beijing would nearly secure Andreeva and Gauff.
The tighter battle is behind them and it could go down to the wire (as it does most years). Elina Svitolina is about 1,000 points behind Jessica Pegula but has the most favorable draw, with Rybakina gone from her quarter. Muchovรก holds the seventh place but faces a really tough test in Osaka, who is playing some strong tennis this week. ลwiฤ tek is 816 points behind Muchovรก. A quarterfinal isn’t really enough to make a dent, but winning this weekend could really alter things. She would likely need a strong Wuhan as well. Kostyuk will have to depend on Wuhan and the smaller events after withdrawing from Beijing.
If I were a betting man, I’d say the current top eight will be the ones to outright qualify but ลwiฤ tek is the big dark horse here. If she can find some form and sneak out a Beijing title and a deep run in Wuhan, she could edge out the others.
Now, on to links!
This Week in Women’s Tennis
Wang Xiyu of China captured the Asian Games gold medal and, depending on ranking qualifications of other Chinese players, a berth into the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. In doubles, Hsieh Su-Wei and Liang En-shuo won an all-Taipei final where there’s quite a bit of history/beef surrounding the matchup.
The Professional Tennis Player’s Association had a legal victory against the tours and Grand Slams as they continue their antitrust lawsuit.
Get to know Sun Xinran, who has built a stellar junior resume this past year but then won her first two WTA matches this week in Beijing.
Paula Badosa is starting to notice her old form and is keen on building upon that in Asia to wrap up the 2026 season.
Really enjoyed this piece on Kayla Day, who is finally healthy and aiming for a re-entry into the Top 100 amid the death of both of her parents.
This was great:
Alex Eala was named to TIME100’s Next list following her rise up the rankings.
Want to feel old? Jada Lynch, the daughter of Kim Clijsters, has committed to playing college basketball at Villanova.
The final WTA 500 of the year in Tokyo will have quite the lineup with Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and Iga ลwiฤ tek among the players entered.
Tweet of the Week
Good on Emma Navarro on speaking out about her health, but on her terms:
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Five at The IX: Beijing Week 1
Q. I feel like people these days are very judgmental on players who are active on social media, especially when they don’t perform so well on court. Do you think there is any correlation between being active on social media in this area and being a good player? Does it take away from the player’s concentration, or there is no correlation at all between the two?
ARYNA SABALENKA: It’s okay. I feel like people judge others based on their own feelings. It has nothing to do with us. If they think that they wouldn’t be able to do that, it doesn’t mean that we cannot do it.
For me, it has nothing to do with social media. People thinks that like, okay, she’s on social media, she doesn’t practice. In reality you spend there, I don’t know, 30 minutes a day.
I don’t see how it can be distracted. If you love it, if you have fun with it, if you want to share yourself on social media, you have to do it.
I’m at that stage we’re like people are going to judge you either way. She’s active or she’s not active. She’s like that and that. It’s like you’re never good enough for people. I feel like why would I even care about them. I don’t give a single heck (smiling).
Q. Nearly the end of the season, if you look back on this year, one of the big elevations is just the mental fortitude to stick through some of the tougher moments through the season. Talk a little bit about what you think clicked a little bit this year. I don’t know if it was more belief in yourself? Physical fitness? I feel like the last couple years there have been times where there was maybe a little bit of a mental checkout. Doesn’t seem to have happened that much this year.
NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I was thinking about that, too.
I feel like from my end, I really realized the only thing I can do is try my best every match. I feel like when I was younger, I kind of copped out in the way like I would mentally check out a little bit when it would be very tight or just, like, the stress would make me feel very overwhelmed.
Now I just feel like every match that I get to play is a gift. Like, I could be injured or something could have happened to me where I couldn’t play anymore. I’m just grateful to play. I’m grateful that my daughter’s healthy, very energetic.
I don’t think of this in a bad way, but if I were to have lost after trying my best, I get to go home and see her, so …
No matter what happens, it’s kind of a win.
Q. You obviously broke out at 15 years old. Sun Xinran, 16 years old. She got to play on Diamond Court the other night. Can you give somebody advice of what it’s like to break out at such a young age, then become thrust into the spotlight of a pretty large country with a lot of eyes on you?
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think, I mean, from that age, I don’t know, like everything feels so new and fresh. I think the first year on tour is honestly the easiest in a way because new matchups, no one knows how to play you, there’s no points to defend.
I mean, obviously there’s going to be maybe โ I don’t think even people are going to put pressure on her. They just want to see her win.
I think the biggest advice when you’re second year on tour, try not to keep those same expectations. She’ll be 17 on her second year. Remember that you’re 17 years old, you’re going to fail, you’re going to succeed.
Obviously when you’re young, especially coming from juniors when you’re used to winning, it’s sometimes tough to lose. I think it’s really cool for her to continue to have a good tournament. Obviously I would love to play her, yeah.
Q. Obviously you talk about pressure. Sometimes pressure can be a negative. You also seem to play very well when the pressure is at its highest. How do you balance that when you play at home in China? How much does the China Open mean to you in your career? Last year you came back. Even though you were still injured, played those great matches. What does this tournament mean to you? How do you balance the pressure?
ZHENG QINWEN: I think to play in China is like playing the fifth Grand Slam for me. They are the same important. Of course, I want to performance super well in front of my people.
Like you say, I have extra pressure, yes. In the same time I also get extra support from all the fans, so I have nothing to complain.
They give me really good practice court here, so I’m able to get my time to train.
It’s like I want so much to achieve a best result here in China. I am not able to do that, like, two years ago. It’s like I’m close, but still I’m not there yet.
So let’s see what I can do this year. No pressure. Just keep fighting and let’s see what the result shows at the end.
Q. Compared to few years ago when everything was new for you, which kind of motivation you arrive to playing the end of the season this year?
MIRRA ANDREEVA: Honestly for me, it’s a little bit harder to play in the end of the season ’cause my hometown is just three hours away, straight flight. My family’s there. They’re calling me, making jokes, You’re not far away.
It’s kind of making it a little bit harder because I know that I’m far but at the same time I’m not far away from home.
I don’t know. Just kind of trying to find motivation for these last few tournaments of the season, last push. Hoping to play in Indian Wells. Yeah, just trying to find that last bit of motivation for myself.
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Soccer: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Womenโs Soccer
Tennis: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer
Basketball: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The IX Sports
Softball: Maren Angus-Coombs, @Maren-Angus, The IX Sports
Golf: Marin Dremock, @MDremock, The IX Sports
Hockey: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden
Gymnastics: Jessica Taylor Price, @jesstaylorprice, Freelance Writer
