In a push for prize money equal to the men, the tour for 15 years made its format more taxing. ‘We wanted the world to know that we weren’t wilting flowers,’ Martina Navratilova said.

Half of the field in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia comes from the U.S. All four players have defined their year by evolving, on the court and off.

Sabalenka is a previous runner-up, at 2022 Fort Worth. The 27-year-old has triumphed in half of the eight finals she’s contested this season, successfully defending her US Open crown to go with a pair ...