The ATP and WTA Finals are the ultimate showdowns in professional tennis

The best of the best. The ATP and WTA Finals pit the top eight singles players and doubles teams in the season’s final battle. It’s a culmination of the tour calendars, serving as both a grand finale and a showcase for the sport’s elites. The year-end No.1 ranking is often on the line, as is a huge payday and momentum into next season. Outside of the four Grand Slams, this is the tournament the players covet.

Here’s what you need to know about one of the crown jewels in tennis:

How do players qualify?

Throughout the calendar year, players and teams earn points based on their tournament results. The points accumulate in a “race” to see who can finish first. At season’s end, the top seven producers punch their ticket to their tour’s Finals. The eighth spot is reserved for a Grand Slam winner ranked 8-20 in the standings. If no player meets that criteria, the final spot goes to the player who finished eighth in the race.

In other words, it’s the year’s top performers going head-to-head.

What's the best way to stay up to date on the race?

With Race to the Finals, Tennis Channel's special weekly show that gets viewers up to speed on the ever-changing pushes to the tour's season-ending championships. New episodes drop each Monday—watch the first installment of Race to the ATP Finals here, and Race to the WTA Finals here.

Episodes will re-air on Tennis Channel and the Tennis Channel app until new episodes premiere on:

• October 13, 3:30 p.m. ET: Race to the ATP Finals, Episode 2
• October 13, 8:00 p.m. ET: Race to the WTA Finals, Episode 2
• October 20, 4:00 p.m. ET: Race to the ATP Finals, Episode 3
• October 20, 8:00 p.m. ET: Race to the WTA Finals, Episode 3
• October 27, 6:00 p.m. ET: Race to the ATP Finals, Episode 4
• October 27, 10:30 p.m. ET: Race to the WTA Finals, Episode 4
• November 3, 8:00 p.m. ET: Race to the ATP Finals, Episode 5

What is the format?

Instead of single elimination, both tour Finals employ a round-robin format. The eight players and teams are divided into two groups of four, based off their final standings in the points race. Each singles player in a group will face off against each other in best-of-three tiebreak sets. Doubles uses a 10-point match tiebreaker in lieu of a third set.

The top two from each group move on to the semifinals. A single loss doesn’t eliminate a player or team, leading to secondary advancing criteria, such as head-to-head results. The winner of one group will play the runner-up of the other. The semifinal winners then play for the championship.

When and where are they held?

The Finals are a week-long event that take place at single venue. It’s typically held in a large indoor arena on a hard surface. The host site is often used for several years before the tournament moves to a different location.

• The WTA Finals will be held November 1-8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Saud University Indoor Arena.
• The ATP Finals will be held November 9-16 in Turin, Italy at the Inalpi Arena.

What's at stake?

Both events boast $15.5 million in total prize money. Each round-robin singles win earns a player nearly $400,000 and 200 ranking points. A semifinal run nets around $1.2 million and 400 ranking points. The winner gets roughly $2.5 million, and 500 ranking points.

An undefeated singles champion earns 500 bonus points—for a total of 1,500—stands to win more than $5 million, and one of the sport’s most prestigious titles.