Gauff and Sabalenka have faced each other eight times with a 4-4 head-to-head record. Sabalenka won their match at the Wuhan Open last month, and the pair split the other two recent meetings at Grand Slam finals: the 2023 US Open which Gauff won and the 2024 Australian Open which Sabalenka won.

Defending WTA Finals champion Iga Swiatek was eliminated from the season-ending championship on Thursday after Barbora Krejcikova's 7-5 6-4 win over Coco Gauff meant the Polish world number two failed to advance to the last four.

Krejcikova beat Gauff to seal a semifinal ticket at the WTA Finals and prevent Swiatek from making the knockout stage.