Sabalenka grinds past Muchova, Andreeva rolls at WTA Finals

Aryna Sabalenka opened her sixth straight WTA Finals campaign with a grind, beating Karolina Muchova 7-6(2) 7-5 as Group 2 play began. The world number two is still hunting her first title at the season-ending event. Muchova, making her tournament debut after a season that brought titles in Doha and Bad Homburg plus a Wimbledon final run, did not make it easy.

Sabalenka trailed when Muchova served for the opening set at 5-4, broke back, then ran away with the tiebreak to take a set that lasted nearly an hour. She looked in control at 4-2 in the second, only for Muchova to break back as Sabalenka served for the match at 5-5. The Belarusian broke once more and closed it out on her own serve.

On court, Sabalenka praised Muchova's resilience: 'She's such an incredible player. Always tough battles. I was just trying to stay calm and focus point by point. She can come back any time. You have to be focused from beginning till the end.' She added that the opening win matters: 'I'm super happy with the level I played. To get the first win, it's really important. Great start.'

French Open champion Mirra Andreeva made her WTA Finals debut look easy, sweeping Elina Svitolina 6-4 6-0. Andreeva needed a single break to seal the first set, then won all six games in the second against the 2018 champion. Svitolina, who beat Andreeva at the Australian Open this year, earned six break points and converted none.

Andreeva said the earlier losses were on her mind. 'I was trying to think about was that she beat me in Australia earlier this year. I really tried not to think about the match we had last year on these courts,' she said, referencing her 2025 win over Svitolina at Indian Wells. 'I remember how I was playing when I beat her here, but I knew it would be a tricky match. She's an amazing player. I'm just very happy I was able to get through the match.'