WTA launches 'The Six' exhibition in Seoul with six top players set to compete

Top women's players including World No.1 Elena Rybakina and World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka will headline 'The Six', a new WTA exhibition scheduled in Seoul, South Korea from December 26 to 28, 2026. The three-day event will feature six players competing in knockout-format matches for an inaugural title.

For the past three years Riyadh has hosted the Six Kings Slam, an exhibition that gathered six leading men’s players and offered a lucrative prize purse, and organisers appear to have adopted a similar model for the women's game. Seoul, which staged a high-profile exhibition between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz last year, was selected as the host city. The 2026 off-season will therefore include another high-profile exhibition, this time focused on the WTA.

The entry list is led by World No.1 Elena Rybakina and World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka. Rybakina has won a couple of Grand Slam titles this season and clinched the World No.1 ranking. Reigning Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva, 19, is also named among the six. Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka, both multiple-time Grand Slam champions, join Jasmine Paolini to complete the field.

The organisers' notes observe that whenever Rybakina and Sabalenka meet they have produced fiercely contested encounters. Both Swiatek and Osaka are reported to boast strong fan followings and are described as likely crowd favourites. Osaka in particular is singled out for her distinctive outfits, which the report says will mesmerise the crowd. Jasmine Paolini is listed as a former World No.4 who reached two Grand Slam finals in 2024 but has struggled for form since, dropping out of the top 10.

The three-day exhibition will consist of five knockout-format matches, with all six players vying for the inaugural title. The total prize pool is $1.1 million (approximately ₩15 billion), although the individual prize breakdown has not yet been confirmed. As an exhibition event, the tournament will not award any ranking points.

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