The WTA announced the opening two days’ order of play for the 2026 Finals on November 4. That schedule set a noon start in Indian Wells, United States, on November 8 and 9. Pacific Standard Time (PST, UTC−8) puts those opening matches at 04:00 Beijing time on November 9 and 10.
On November 7, the WTA subsequently announced Elena Rybakina’s withdrawal with a viral illness. Marta Kostyuk took her place in Group 1 and in the opener against Linda Noskova. The table below records the November 4 announcement, before that change.
The original opener and Day 1 order
The original opener paired Elena Rybakina with Linda Noskova, followed by Coco Gauff against Jessica Pegula and two doubles matches. The head-to-head records in the November 4 announcement had Rybakina leading Noskova 3-0, with Gauff and Pegula level at five wins each.
Opening opponents confirmed for Zhang and Guo’s teams
The second local day begins with Aryna Sabalenka against Karolina Muchova, followed by Mirra Andreeva against Elina Svitolina. Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani then face Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai, before Guo Hanyu and Kristina Mladenovic take on Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko. Although Zhang and Guo’s teams share a group, they have different opponents in their opening matches.
The original order puts two singles matches before two doubles matches each day. Only the opening match has a fixed start time; the others follow the preceding contest. Zhang and Guo’s teams are scheduled after the two singles matches on November 10 Beijing time, with 04:00 marking the day’s opener.
Original order announced on November 4
| Local match day | Order | Match | Beijing time (UTC+8) |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 8 | 1: Singles | Elena Rybakina vs Linda Noskova | November 9, 04:00 |
| November 8 | 2: Singles | Coco Gauff vs Jessica Pegula | Following match |
| November 8 | 3: Doubles | Katerina Siniakova / Taylor Townsend vs Sara Errani / Jasmine Paolini | Following match |
| November 8 | 4: Doubles | Cristina Bucsa / Nicole Melichar-Martinez vs Ellen Perez / Demi Schuurs | Following match |
| November 9 | 1: Singles | Aryna Sabalenka vs Karolina Muchova | November 10, 04:00 |
| November 9 | 2: Singles | Mirra Andreeva vs Elina Svitolina | Following match |
| November 9 | 3: Doubles | Gabriela Dabrowski / Luisa Stefani vs Elise Mertens / Zhang Shuai | Following match |
| November 9 | 4: Doubles | Guo Hanyu / Kristina Mladenovic vs Hsieh Su-wei / Jelena Ostapenko | Following match |
