Sabalenka beats Muchova 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 in WTA Finals opener despite erratic serve
Aryna Sabalenka defeated Karolina Muchova in the opening match of the WTA Finals on Monday, winning 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 despite a wayward serve and visible frustration.
The world number two is bidding to win the season-ending title for the first time in her sixth appearance and reached the WTA Finals showpiece in 2022 and 2025. With rival and world number one Elena Rybakina withdrawing on the eve of the competition, Sabalenka entered the event as an arguable favourite on the same courts where she won the Indian Wells title in March. Neither Sabalenka nor Wimbledon runner-up Muchova were consistently at their best in the opening Group Two match.
Muchova took the initial advantage by claiming the first break of the match, but Sabalenka immediately broke back and the opening set was ultimately decided in a tie-break. Muchova served for that set but a run of errors sent it to the tie-break, which Sabalenka won 7-2 to claim the first set 7-6 (7-2). Sabalenka also recovered from being a break down in the second set.
The second set featured five breaks of serve before Sabalenka closed out the match, serving for victory on her second attempt and sealing the win 7-5. Sabalenka cut a frustrated figure at times but restrained her emotions, and her forehand grew stronger as the contest progressed.
Her serving figures reflected the inconsistency: Sabalenka produced seven double faults to four aces, landed 59% of her first serves and won 33 of 44 points behind her first delivery. "It was a bit tricky with the sun [and] with the shade," Sabalenka told Sky Sports. "Sometimes I had to adjust my toss, sometimes I had to serve blind, but it's all part of the game."
Sabalenka has had, by her high standards, a strange season: for the first time since 2022 she has not won a Grand Slam singles title, having lost the Australian Open and US Open finals to Rybakina, and her last title came in Miami in March. After winning just one of her three matches during the Asian swing she took a break before the season-ending finals, and she faced a tricky task against the crafty Muchova, who was the only player at the event to have a winning head-to-head record against her.
In other tennis results reported, Cameron Norrie beat James Duckworth 7-5 6-0 to reach the Stockholm Open second round and will face top seed Taylor Fritz next as he continues his preparations for this month's Davis Cup Finals. Fellow Briton Toby Samuel beat Leo Borg 6-3 6-2 at the same event.
French Open champion Mirra Andreeva faces Ukraine's Elina Svitolina later on Monday.