On a November evening in Riyadh, the tennis season's last act opened with a contest that tested the nerve of its favourite more than her skill. Aryna Sabalenka, a player chasing the one prize that has eluded her across six appearances, edged Karolina Muchova in two sets while her serve betrayed her again and again. Her path to the title looks clearer now that Elena Rybakina has withdrawn, yet the year has taught her that clear paths are rarely smooth ones. Whether a player can win when her own weapon falters is the question the coming days will answer.
Sabalenka edges Muchova in WTA Finals opener despite serving woes
Seven double faults against four aces, and still she found a way
Mark
Sabalenka won, so why is the serve the story?
Mimi
Because seven double faults against four aces is a thin margin for a favourite. She got through, but the numbers show how close it was.
Luke
Worth saying the 33 of 44 points won on first serve is strong. The problem was how often the first serve missed, with only 59% landing.
Mark
She blamed the sun and shade. Is that enough to explain it?
Mimi
It's her explanation, and she described adjusting her toss and serving blind. It's plausible, but it's her account.
Luke
Right. The reporting doesn't confirm that conditions caused the double faults, so I'd hold it as her read.
Mark
How much does Rybakina's withdrawal change things?
Mimi
Rybakina beat her in both the Australian Open and US Open finals, so her absence matters. The report calls Sabalenka arguably the favourite.
Luke
Arguably is the key word. That's a judgment, not a fact, and Andreeva looked sharp in her opener.
Mark
And Muchova's head-to-head record?
Mimi
She was the only player in the field with a winning record against Sabalenka, which made this a tricky opener.
Luke
We aren't given the actual head-to-head numbers, so how much that shaped the match is unknown.
El Pulso
- Sabalenka's serve collapsed under pressure, producing seven double faults against only four aces.
- She twice fell behind a break in each set and had to claw her way back before the tie-break decided the opener.
- A stunning 6-0 rout by Mirra Andreeva over Elina Svitolina lifted the stakes for the whole group.
- With Rybakina out, the title looks open, but Sabalenka must steady her serve before facing the rest of her group.
On a November evening in Riyadh, the tennis season's last act opened with a contest that tested the nerve of its favourite more than her skill. Aryna Sabalenka, a player chasing the one prize that has eluded her across six appearances, edged Karolina Muchova in two sets while her serve betrayed her again and again. Her path to the title looks clearer now that Elena Rybakina has withdrawn, yet the year has taught her that clear paths are rarely smooth ones. Whether a player can win when her own weapon falters is the question the coming days will answer.
Aryna Sabalenka began her WTA Finals campaign with a win she had to fight for, beating Karolina Muchova 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 in the first group match. Her serve kept letting her down throughout, and she needed every ounce of resilience to get through.
The world number two is chasing the season-ending title for the first time in six appearances. World number one Elena Rybakina's withdrawal on the eve of the event makes Sabalenka arguably the favourite, though neither she nor Muchova played consistently well. Muchova, the only player in the field with a winning record against Sabalenka, broke first in the opening set, and Sabalenka broke straight back. That pattern repeated until a tie-break settled the first set in Sabalenka's favour.
The second set was even more volatile, with five service breaks before Sabalenka closed it out. She showed frustration at times but kept her composure. Her forehand grew stronger as the match wore on, but seven double faults and only 59% first serves in told the real story. Sabalenka said the sun and shade made things tricky, but that it was all part of the game.
This has been an unusual year for her. For the first time since 2022 she has not won a Grand Slam singles title, and she has lost two major finals to Rybakina. Her next challenge is to rebuild her serve before the rest of her group.
Later, French Open champion Mirra Andreeva was far more commanding, routing Elina Svitolina 6-4 6-0. The teenager, who had beaten Sabalenka in the Indian Wells final, saved all six break points she faced and dominated the second set.
Aryna Sabalenka opened her WTA Finals campaign with a win she had to scrape for, beating Karolina Muchova 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 in the first group two match, and doing it while her serve kept letting her down.
The world number two is chasing the season-ending title for the first time in her sixth appearance. Her path looked clearer after world number one Elena Rybakina withdrew on the eve of the event, which leaves Sabalenka arguably the favourite on the courts where she won the Indian Wells title in March. Neither she nor Wimbledon runner-up Muchova played consistently well, though.
The Belarusian came from a break down in both sets. Muchova, a crafty opponent and the only player in the field with a winning head-to-head record against Sabalenka, took the first break of the opening set. Sabalenka broke straight back, and that pattern repeated through the match. Muchova served for the first set but a string of errors pushed it into a tie-break, where more mistakes handed Sabalenka the set. The second was topsy-turvy, with five breaks of serve, and Sabalenka closed it out on her second attempt at serving for the match.
She looked frustrated at times but kept her emotions in check, and her forehand grew stronger as the match went on. The serve was the problem: seven double faults against four aces, with 59% of first serves landing. When the first serve did go in, she won 33 of 44 points behind it. She told Sky Sports that the sun and shade made things tricky, that she sometimes had to adjust her toss and sometimes serve blind, but that it was all part of the game.
It has been an odd year by her standards. 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. Her last title came in Miami in March. She won only one of her three matches during the Asian swing and took a break before the finals.
Later on Monday, French Open champion Mirra Andreeva was far more convincing, beating Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 6-4 6-0. The teenager, who beat Sabalenka in the 2025 Indian Wells final, won seven games in a row, helped by her backhand. She saved all six break points she faced, four of them in the final game, and hit nine winners to 12 unforced errors in 77 minutes.
Elsewhere, Britain's Cameron Norrie beat Australian James Duckworth 7-5 6-0 to reach the second round of the Stockholm Open, where he will face top seed Taylor Fritz as he prepares for this month's Davis Cup Finals. Fellow Briton Toby Samuel beat Leo Borg, son of 11-time Grand Slam champion Bjorn, 6-3 6-2 at the same event.
Sabalenka's serve will be the thing to watch as she plays the rest of her group, with the title still unclaimed.
Citas Notables
Sometimes I had to adjust my toss, sometimes I had to serve blind, but it's all part of the game.— Aryna Sabalenka, speaking to Sky Sports
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