No player has won the WTA Finals in successive seasons since Serena Williams made it a hat-trick in 2014 and Elena Rybakina's late withdrawal means Aaron Ashley has tweaked his tip for the tournament at Indian Wells.
Rybakina won the season-ending finale last season, beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final and confidence will have been high after a year to remember.
However, she stepped down on the eve of the tournament, citing illness and Marta Kostyuk has taken her place.
Rybakina became world number one in September, ending Sabalenka's 99-week reign at the top, and has won Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open this season.
The WTA Finals is a celebration to end the season and features the eight highest-ranked players in the women's game.
The eight-day tournament splits the eight players into two round-robin groups of four, with the top two from each section advancing to the semi-finals, and Kostyuk is in Group 1 alongside American aces Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula and Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.
Group 2 is headlined by Sabalenka and she takes on Mirra Andreeva, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Muchova as she bids to win the WTA Finals for the first time.
Iga Swiatek, champion three years ago, is the star name to miss out, while Diana Shnaider and Naomi Osaka are other leading lights who failed to make the cut this time around.
WTA Finals Tips Summary
Best Bet - Mirra Andreeva to win WTA Finals @ 9/2
Alternative Bet - Jessica Pegula to win WTA Finals @ 6/1
WTA Finals Prediction
Best Bet: Mirra Andreeva to win WTA Finals @ 6/1
There is a sense that Sabalenka could be going through a vulnerable period, with her level having definitely dropped since she was dethroned by Rybakina as world number one.
Sabalenka was beaten in three sets by Rybakina in the US Open final in September and has suffered two shock defeats in her three subsequent matches.
The Belarusian lost 6-4 6-3 against Nikola Bartunkova in the third round in Beijing at the start of October before crashing out in her opening contest in Wuhan to Ann Li.
Having yet to win the WTA Finals, there is plenty of reason to oppose her right now.
That means it could be a big chance for rising star Andreeva to make her presence felt.
Svitolina and Muchova are two consistent performers but they may lack the star quality of Andreeva, who won her maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open in June.
The world is at the feet of the fearless teenager and her run to the final in Beijing last month suggests she heads to Indian Wells operating close to the top of her game, something that may not be the case for Sabalenka.
Alternative Bet: Jessica Pegula to win WTA Finals @ 6/1
Pegula has had another year of nearly but not quite. The 32-year-old reached the semi-finals of both the Australian and US Opens, as well as the last eight of Wimbledon.
However, her wait for a Grand Slam continues, but a Finals win would be a decent consolation.
Pegula has been playing at this level for some time, reaching the 2023 final in Cancun, Mexico, where she lost 6-1 6-0 to Swiatek.
She made the semi-finals last year in Riyadh and recorded a career joint-best performance at Indian Wells in March, losing in the last four to Rybakina.
With the Kazakh absent, Pegula could take advantage and the slower conditions in November as opposed to March may suit her too.
Blessed with excellent groundstrokes, she keeps finding ways to add to her game and has become more comfortable moving forward, while her improving serve is also proving increasingly problematic for her rivals.
Pegula's improved mobility and serve take time away from her opponents and she can use her all-round game to push hard for WTA Finals glory.
Key Tournament Stats
- Mirra Andreeva has won 10 of her last 13 matches
- Aryna Sabalenka has been beaten in three of her last four outings
- Coco Gauff has dropped at least a set in four of her last five matches, losing two of her last three outings
- Jessica Pegula reached the 2023 final
- Pegula reached the last eight in three out of four of this year's Grand Slams
Read more tennis betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
