WTA Finals 2024 Prize Money Breakdown: How much did each player earn?

Coco Gauff earned more in Riyadh than she did for winning the 2023 US Open.

Meet Coco Gauff, the newest WTA Finals champion and the first American to lay claim to the trophy since 2014, the year Serena Williams completed a trio of wins.

Gauff scripted a comeback in the title round and the season. It was Coco Gauff’s day as she fought back from a set and a breakdown in the second set. The American was put through the wringer by Qinwen Zheng, who served for the match at 5-4 in the decider.

The 20-year-old Gauff ultimately prevailed 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the three-hour and four-minute match to become the youngest title winner since Maria Sharapova in 2004. Gauff went through a mid-season drought after winning in Auckland. She placed herself on the path to recovery after winning in China in October.

Coco Gauff kisses the trophy after becoming the youngest WTA Finals champion in 20 years. Phenomenal competitor who’s going to be here for a very long time. Hold it high. 🇺🇸🥹 pic.twitter.com/q5HFFrkFtW

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 9, 2024

The latest face-off between Gauff and Zheng has laid the grounds for a blossoming rivalry that is now two matches old. Both wins have gone the way of Gauff, including the Rome WTA 1000 event last year.

Waiting for Gauff as a reward for her victorious week in Riyadh is a $4.85 million paycheck, the largest payout at a WTA event. Zheng, the runner-up, pocketed $2.3 million for her efforts. She made history as the only second Asian player to reach the summit clash at the WTA Finals since Li Na in 2013. Let’s take a look at the prize money earned by each singles player at WTA Finals 2024.

Jessica Pegula ($275k)

Pegula pocketed the appearance fee of $275,000 adjusted for her two appearances as she was forced to withdraw due to injury. The World No. #6, a finalist last season, lost both her Orange Group matches to Barbora Krejcikova and eventual winner Coco Gauff.

Jessica Pegula could not muster the form that gave her two titles mid-season. She won the ecotrans Ladies Open in June and the National Bank Open in Toronto.

Elena Rybakina ($685k)

Rybakina took home $685,000, which is $100,000 more than the $585,000 she earned for reaching the finals of the Miami Open in March. Elena Rybakina has had a productive year despite being afflicted by injuries. She won WTA 1000 titles at Indian Wells and Rome and a WTA 500 event in Stuttgart.

In Riyadh, Rybakina lost her first two matches against Qinwen Zheng and Jasmine Paolini. The Kazakh went out on a winning note by defeating World No. #1 Aryna Sabalenka in her last round-robin fixture.

Jasmine Paolini ($685k)

Paolini was the dark horse making her WTA Finals debut at the 2024 edition. The diminutive 5’4” Italian made back-to-back finals at Wimbledon and Roland Garros on her way to the WTA Finals. She took 2022 Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina in her first match of the tournament in straight sets.

Following losses to Qinwen Zheng and Aryna Sabalenka, she had to exit the event, but not before collecting a $685,000 paycheck on the way. It was a lucrative outing for the Italian in Riyadh. Jasmine Paolini won the WTA 1000 in Dubai for the most significant victory of her career, a result that fetched her $523,485.

Iga Swiatek ($1.03m)

Iga Swiatek failed to advance to the knockout stage of WTA Finals 2024 and had to be content with $1,035,000. She won the event undefeated last year. By winning the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun, the Pole won $3,078,000.

Swiatek was the among first to qualify for the 2024 WTA Finals, clinching her place back in August. Unfortunately for the World No. #2, she was among the first to bow out of the tournament. Swiatek headed for the exit after losing to Gauff. Swiatek’s win against Pegula’s stand-in, Daria Kasatkina, had no bearing on her chances of progressing.

Barbora Krejcikova ($1.03m)

Krejcikova qualified for the 2024 WTA Finals by virtue of being the Wimbledon champion. She made the shortlist for the first time since 2021, when the event took place in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The Czech player and World No. #13 topped the Orange Table and made the last four at the year-ending event for the first time. Her trip to Riyadh yielded $1,035,000 for her semi-final appearance. After narrowly losing to Iga Swiatek in the opening round, Barbora Krejcikova posted wins against Gauff and Pegula to finish with 2-1 in the group stage. The No. #8 bowed out to Qinwen Zheng in the knockout stage.

Aryna Sabalenka ($1.03m)

Aryna Sabalenka stormed into the WTA Finals qualifier list in September during the US Open fortnight, which she went on to win. She had won the Cincinnati Open prior to arriving in New York and went on to win the Wuhan Open in October.

The Belarusian finished at the head of the Purple Group at 2-1 with successive wins over Qinwen Zheng and Jasmine Paolini. She cemented her place as the year-end No. #1 after the victory over Paolini. The loss to Elena Rybakina prevented a clean sweep of the group stage. Sabalenka left Riyadh richer by $1,035,000 after the semi-final loss to Coco Gauff.

Also Read: How many titles has Aryna Sabalenka won in 2024?

Qinwen Zheng ($2.3m)

Zheng made a final run at WTA Finals 2024, the effort earning her a sizeable cheque of $2,305,000. She entered the top list on the WTA Tour on reaching the Australian Open final in January and went for gold at the 2024 Summer Games. Qinwen Zheng also won the WTA 500 event in Tokyo before arriving in Riyadh.

The $2.3 million cheque from appearing in Riyadh is more than the $1.72 million she won as the runner-up in Melbourne.

Wins over Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini ushered the Chinese woman into the championship bout. Zheng’s maiden title round appearance at the WTA Finals caps off a stellar year even though she came up short against Gauff in the final.

Coco Gauff ($4.85m)

Gauff ended up taking the big prize at the 2024 WTA Finals – a hefty $4,805,000. For context, Gauff earned $3 million for winning the 2023 US Open. Gauff posted an easy over Jessica Pegula before humbling Iga Swiatek in her first two Group Stage games. A loss to Krejcikova in the final round-robin match of the Orange Group prevented an undefeated run at the tournament.

The American defeated the top two players on tour, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, before quelling the challenge from Qinwen Zheng in an absorbing contest settled after a final set tie-break and three hours on court.

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