TENNIS – WORLD number two Aryna Sabalenka got her WTA Finals campaign off to a winning start with a hard-fought victory over Karolina Muchova, while Mirra Andreeva eased past Elina Svitolina as Group 2 action got underway on Monday.
Making her sixth consecutive appearance at the season-ending tournament, Sabalenka had to work hard to overcome a determined Muchova 7-6(2) 7-5, with the Czech making her debut at the event after a breakthrough season that included titles in Doha and Bad Homburg and a run to the Wimbledon final.
In a meeting between youth and experience, French Open champion Andreeva made an impressive debut by dispatching the 2018 WTA Finals champion Svitolina 6-4 6-0.
The Belarusian, who is seeking her first WTA Finals crown, had to dig deep in the opening set, breaking back when Muchova served for it at 5-4 before dominating the ensuing tiebreak to take the lead after almost an hour.
Sabalenka appeared to have gained control in the second set with a 4-2 lead, but the Czech refused to go away, breaking back when her opponent was serving for the match to level at 5-5.
Muchova’s resistance proved short-lived, however, as Sabalenka broke again before finally serving out the contest.
“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,” Sabalenka said on court.
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