Sabalenka Beats Muchova, Andreeva Wins Her Debut Comfortably

Aryna Sabalenka started her WTA Finals with a win. The second seed from Belarus put up a tough fight against Karolina Muchova and won the match 7-6 (7-2), 7-5. Sabalenka fell behind 5-4 in the first set but immediately broke serve to level at 5-5. She won the tiebreak 7-2 to take the set.

In the second set, both players struggled on serve. Sabalenka lost her serve at 5-4, when she was trying to close out the match. This was her fourth service loss of the second set. She quickly broke back to lead 6-5 and then served out the match. Sabalenka sealed the victory the moment Muchova sent her backhand into the net.

After the match, Sabalenka said: "I am trying to win every match I play. At the same time, I am trying to stay in the moment, focus on every point and every game, and stay calm and controlled." The former world No. 1 wants to win the WTA Finals title for the first time. Sabalenka had finished runner-up in the final in 2022 and 2025.

In the day's other group match, Mirra Andreeva, who was making her WTA Finals debut, beat Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-0. Andreeva, the third seed and 19 years old, is the French Open champion, while Svitolina is the sixth seed. Andreeva moved ahead 4-2 in the first set and kept control for the rest of the match. In the second set, she broke serve three times to pull away. Andreeva said she had been very nervous before the match: "I was so nervous, I was moving like a turtle."