WTA Finals recap: Round-robin opens to sellout crowd as women’s tennis starts a new chapter

Follow The Athletic‘s coverage of the WTA Finals at Indian Wells, Calif. After two days in the Coachella Valley, the first round-robin matches of the 2026 WTA Finals are in the books. Here are the matches and players that have stood out, some things tennis fans may have missed, and what to look out for in the next set of matches. Why was there an early vindication for the WTA? There is much more tennis to be played at this year’s WTA Finals, and its current home at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden