The tournament was sponsored by Turkish construction firm Garanti Koza (the first year of a two-year deal).

The Tournament consisted of a singles draw of eight players (including two Wild Cards, if applicable) in a round robin format determined by the WTA.

The final standings of each group shall be determined by the first of the following methods that apply: The total prize money for the 2013 Garanti Koza WTA Tournament of Champions was 750,000 United States dollars.

The six highest-ranked players who have captured at least one International tournament during the year and who are not participating in singles at the year-end WTA Championships in Istanbul or the finals of the Fed Cup will automatically qualify for the event, plus two wildcards.

The Dane decided, although she would be the number one seed, not to compete and instead only focus her attentions on being an alternate at the WTA Championships.

[1][4][5] Vinci qualified by winning two international series tournaments, in Katowice and Palermo, respectively, but decided to compete in the Fed Cup final instead.

Halep is having a breakthrough year, entering the top 15 and winning her first title after previously losing three finals between 2010 and 2012.

[6] The following week she claimed the title on the grass courts of the Topshelf Open defeating Kirsten Flipkens 6–4, 6–2.

[7] Halep claimed her third title at the Budapest Grand Prix defeating Austrian Yvonne Meusburger in three sets 6–3, 6–7(7–9), 6–1.

[11] On 20 October 2013, just before the Garanti Koza in Sofia, she won her fifth title of the year and the second Premier, beating Samantha Stosur 7–6 6–2 at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

Ivanovic reached the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open a Premier Mandatory event, losing to Maria Sharapova 4–6, 3–6.

[14] She reached her first final of the year at the Generali Ladies Linz losing to German Angelique Kerber 4–6, 6–7(6–8).

Kirilenko last year's wildcard received entry into the event after winning the PTT Pattaya Open defeating Sabine Lisicki 5–7, 6–1, 7–6(7–1).

She lost in the third rounds of French Open, to Jelena Janković 6–3, 3–6, 4–6, and Wimbledon, to eventual runner-up Sabine Lisicki 6–4, 2–6, 1–6.

[25][26] After poor results in the beginning of the year, Stosur showed good form by reaching back-to-back quarterfinals in Qatar and Dubai.

[27] However, after withdrawing from her quarterfinal match against Angelique Kerber at the BNP Paribas due to a calf-injury, Stosur showed poor form throughout the year until shocking Victoria Azarenka in the final of the Southern California Open.

[28] She won her second title of the year at HP Open defeating Eugenie Bouchard 3–6, 7–5, 6–2 to receive entry into the Tournament of Champions.

She won her first title after six former runners-up at the Moorilla Hobart International, defeating German Mona Barthel in the final 6–3, 6–4.

Cornet qualified for Sofia by winning her maiden tournament of the year at the Internationaux de Strasbourg, defeating Czech Lucie Hradecká 7–6(7–4), 6–0.

[49][50] In the 2013 edition of the Tournament of Champions, the competitors were divided into two groups: the Serdika and the Sredets, representing the names of two districts in Sofia.