Sabalenka and Andreeva win WTA Finals openers

Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva opened their WTA Finals campaigns with victories, setting up a Group 2 round-robin meeting between the two winners. Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova 7-6(2), 7-5, while Andreeva defeated Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-0 in her tournament debut.

Sabalenka, seeking her first WTA Finals title, recovered after Muchova twice took a break lead in the opening set. The Belarusian broke back each time and won the tiebreak 7-2. The second set also featured repeated breaks. Sabalenka led 5-3, but Muchova levelled at 5-5 after breaking as Sabalenka served for the match. Sabalenka then broke again and served out the victory in one hour and 53 minutes.

Afterward, Sabalenka said she focused on staying calm and concentrating on each point. The win gives her an opening-round victory at the season-ending tournament as she makes her sixth consecutive appearance. She was runner-up in 2022 and 2025 and is seeking her first title at the event.

Andreeva, the 19-year-old reigning French Open champion, saved all six break points she faced against Svitolina. She took the first set 6-4, then won the final seven games to close out the match in straight sets. It was her first...