WTA Elite Trophy 2023 Preview: When is it, who is playing and what is the prize money?
The WTA Elite Trophy is set to make its return after a four-year hiatus, with 12 of the top tennis players from the year set to go head-to-head once again.
And we, at Tennishead, have everything you need to know about the year-end event:
What is the WTA Elite Trophy 2023?
The WTA Elite Trophy is the second tier year-end event for the WTA Tour, with the Finals taking place the following week.
It features the 11 highest ranked singles players who did not qualify for the WTA Finals, with one additional spot awarded to a wildcard of the tournament’s choice.
The players are split into four groups of three and play one another in a round-robin format, with the group winner progressing to the semi-finals and so forth.
There is also a doubles field at the event in a similar format, which has six teams (four qualifying based off merit and two awarded wildcards).
Like the singles, these six teams will be split into two round-robin groups of three, with the winners advancing straight to the final.
When is the WTA Elite Trophy 2023?
The WTA Elite Trophy will begin on Tuesday 24th October, with both the singles and doubles events concluding on Sunday 29th October.
Fans will be able to discover which group their favourite players are placed into when the draw is conducted on Monday 23rd October at 4:30am (BST).
Where is the WTA Elite Trophy held?
The WTA Elite Trophy has been held at the Hengqin International Tennis Center in Zhuhai, China, since the tournament debuted back in 2015.
It is very pleased to announce that the 2023 WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai will return to the Hengqin International Tennis Center on 24-29 October. It marks the return of this world-class year-end professional tennis event to China after a four-year hiatus.@wta#zhuhai #wtaelitetrophy pic.twitter.com/ReXtJOaY2f
— WTA Elite Trophy (@WTAEliteTrophy) August 18, 2023
This outdoor tennis complex was actually purpose built for this event, and is headlined by a Centre Court with a capacity of 5,000 spectators.
Centre Court at the Hengqin International Tennis Center possesses a retractable roof in case of bad weather, and is supported by Court No.1 (1,500), four smaller match courts, and 12 practice courts.
Who is playing at the WTA Elite Trophy 2023?
The 2023 WTA Elite Trophy is headlined by former Roland Garros winner Barbora Krejcikova, who will make her debut after adding two titles to her resume this year in Dubai (WTA 1000) and San Diego (WTA 500).
Four players who have previous experience at the event are Madison Keys, Daria Kasatkina, 2022 WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia and Donna Vekic.
Keys, who will be making her fourth appearance at the event this year, is the only player to have previously advanced from the robin-robin stage.
Krejcikova is not the only former major winner in the draw, with Jelena Ostapenko also qualifying to make her debut appearance in Zhuhai.
There will also be home interest for the Chinese crowds in Zhuhai, with Qinwen Zheng qualifying for the tournament and Lin Zhu being awarded a wildcard.
The in-form Zheng is likely to be a particular threat to the rest of the field, having won 16 of her last 19 matches, with the 21-year-old’s only recent defeats coming to Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.
From triumph to tenacity! 🏆
Fresh off her victory at the @ZhengzhouOpen, Qinwen Zheng is already back on the courts, laser-focused on conquering the WTA Elite Trophy.#WTAEliteTrophy pic.twitter.com/irfnLKRO67
— WTA Elite Trophy (@WTAEliteTrophy) October 18, 2023
Maria Sakkari, Petra Kvitova, Belinda Bencic, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Victoria Azarenka were also supposed to be featuring in the event, but elected to withdraw for differing reasons.
Alternates in case of any further withdrawals are Sorana Cirstea and Anastasia Potapova.
Here is the full singles entry list:
| Seeds | Players | Points | Number of tournaments played in 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barbora Krejcikova | 2,775 | 20 |
| 2 | Madison Keys | 2,737 | 17 |
| 3 | Jelena Ostapenko | 2,615 | 22 |
| 4 | Liudmila Samsonova | 2,545 | 23 |
| 5 | Veronika Kudermetova | 2,460 | 24 |
| 6 | Daria Kasatkina | 2,410 | 24 |
| 7 | Qinwen Zheng | 2,275 | 22 |
| 8 | Beatriz Haddad Maia | 2,210 | 22 |
| 9 | Caroline Garcia | 2,035 | 26 |
| 10 | Donna Vekic | 1,815 | 20 |
| 11 | Magda Linette | 1,811 | 23 |
| 12/WC | Lin Zhu | 1,272 | 23 |
Veronika Kudermetova and Beatriz Haddad Maia will be doing double duty, as they will also pair up to become the top seeds in the doubles event.
Here is the full doubles entry list:
| Seeds | Teams |
| 1 | Veronika Kudermetova/Beatriz Haddad Maia |
| 2 | Aldila Sutjiadi/Miyu Kato |
| 3 | Marie Bouzkova/Sara Sorribes Tormo |
| 4 | Ulrikke Eikeri/Lyudmyla Kichenok |
| 5/WC | Xu Yifan/Wang Xiyu |
| 6/WC | Jiang Xinyu/Tang Qianhui |
How much prize money and ranking points are on offer at the WTA Elite Trophy 2023?
| Stage | Singles | Doubles | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prize money | Points | Prize money* | |
| Champion | RR + $515,000 | RR + 460 | RR + $22,000 |
| Runner-up | RR + $155,000 | RR + 200 | RR + $11,346 |
| Semifinalist loss | RR + $15,000 | RR | — |
| Round robin win per match | 1st win +$50,000 2nd win +$40,000 | 120 | +$5,500 |
| Round robin loss per match | — | 40 | — |
| Round robin first place | $69,500 | — | — |
| Round robin second place | $32,000 | — | — |
| Participation Fee | $46,500 | — | $17,080 |
| Alternates | $10,000 | — | — |
*Per team
Previous winners of the WTA Elite Trophy
The WTA Elite Trophy has not been held since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the WTA’s suspension of Chinese events due to the disappearance of Peng Shuai.
Aryna Sabalenka was victorious the last time the tournament was held, with the now world No.1 accompanied by multiple-time Grand Slam champions as other former winners in Zhuhai.
Here are all the former champions of the WTA Elite Trophy:
| Location | Year | Champion | Runner-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhuhai | 2015 | Venus Williams | Karolína Plíšková | |
| 2016 | Petra Kvitová | Elina Svitolina | ||
| 2017 | Julia Goerges | CoCo Vandeweghe | ||
| 2018 | Ashleigh Barty | Qiang Wang | ||
| 2019 | Aryna Sabalenka | Kiki Bertens |
READ NEXT: Welcome back! How tennis is making its return to China after four year absence
Where can you watch the WTA Elite Trophy 2023?
You can watch the WTA Elite Trophy exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
For more information on how watch the year-end tournament in your location visit the WTA website.
Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB
Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube
Read >> World’s best tennis magazine
Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner
