Who can stop Sabalenka? WTA Finals talking points and vote

Aryna Sabalenka is aiming to cap a dominant year by winning the season-ending WTA Finals which has attracted controversy for being held in Saudi Arabia.

Top seed Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open and US Open titles, heads an eight-strong singles field in Riyadh as she looks to lift the title for the first time.

French Open champion Iga Swiatek is aiming to stop Sabalenka finishing as year-end number one, while Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova also look to challenge.

Grand Slam semi-finalists Jasmine Paolini, Jessica Pegula and Zheng Qinwen round off the qualifiers.

With the eight-day tournament starting on Saturday, here are the main talking points.

Aryna Sabalenka, 25, Belarus

Seed: 1

Best WTA Finals performance: Runner-up (2022)

2024 titles: 4

2024 win-loss: 54-12

With two Grand Slams and more ranking points than anyone else, she has been the season's standout player. A first WTA Finals title will cap it.

Jasmine Paolini, 28, Italy

Seed: 4

Best WTA Finals performance: Debut

2024 titles: 1

2024 win-loss: 37-17

Late-bloomer Paolini, also competing in the doubles, has enjoyed the season of her life. Having never previously made a Slam third round, she won a first WTA 1,000 title in Dubai before reaching the French Open and Wimbledon finals.

Elena Rybakina, 25, Kazakhstan

Seed: 5

Best WTA Finals performance: Round robin (2023)

2024 titles: 3

2024 win-loss: 41-9

A season of two halves for the 2022 Wimbledon champion, who has struggled throughout with recurring illness. She lost seven of her 41 matches up to June, but has not played since August.

Zheng Qinwen, 22, China

Seed: 7

Best WTA Finals performance: Debut

2024 titles: 3

2024 win-loss: 47-16

The disappointment of losing her first major final in Melbourne has been offset by winning Olympic singles gold. She goes into the finals having lost four of her past 32 matches.

Iga Swiatek, 23, Poland

Seed: 2

Best WTA Finals performance: Champion (2023)

2024 titles: 5

2024 win-loss: 54-7

Swiatek could become the first back-to-back winner in a decade. It will be the French Open champion's first tournament with new coach Wim Fissette.

Coco Gauff, 21, United States

Seed: 3

Best WTA Finals performance: Semi-finalist (2023)

2024 titles: 2

2024 win-loss: 48-15

Still the youngest player in the field - on her third appearance. A disappointing US Open swing led to splitting with coach Brad Gilbert and while still fixing issues with her serve, the Beijing champion has won 11 of her 12 matches since.

Jessica Pegula, 30, United States

Seed: 6

Best WTA Finals performance: Runner-up (2023)

2024 titles: 2

2024 win-loss: 38-13

A poor start to the season was transformed on the American hard courts. Champion in Toronto and runner-up in Cincinnati, she lost to Sabalenka in her first major final at the US Open.

Barbora Krejcikova, 30, Czech Republic

Seed: 8

Best WTA Finals performance: Round robin (2021)

2024 titles: 1 (Wimbledon)

2024 win-loss: 16-13

Sat 17th in the seasonal race, Krejcikova qualified on the basis of winning Wimbledon. American Emma Navarro finished eighth but WTA rules hand a spot to a major winner if they finish within the top 20.

Former Grand Slam champions Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova said the WTA Finals moving to Saudi Arabia is a "step backward" for women's tennis.

Critics of Saudi Arabia have accused the oil-rich kingdom of using its wealth to invest in sports in a bid to improve its image - known as 'sportswashing'.

The state has come under intense international scrutiny, with critics highlighting that women's rights are still restricted and homosexuality is illegal.

The WTA Finals is the first major tour-level event held in Saudi.

Tournament director Garbine Muguruza, a two-time Grand Slam champion who won the 2021 Finals, said she had not heard any reservations from players about making the trip.

"I only have heard positive things. It's a new market that is being very welcome to us," Muguruza said.

The Finals are contested by eight singles players and eight doubles teams who have accumulated the most ranking points over the season.

The qualifiers are seeded by points accrued and drawn into two groups.

A round-robin format decides who qualifies for the semi-finals, which take place on Friday, 8 November.

The winners contest the finals on Saturday, 9 November.

A record amount of total prize money sees £11.75m split across the singles and doubles, with an undefeated singles champion set to collect about £4m.

Play starts each day at 12:30 GMT and there will be daily reports on the BBC Sport website and app.