Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) - Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, ranked second in the world, began her career in the final WTA Championship in Indian Wells, USA, by defeating seventh-ranked Czech Karolina Muchova in an exciting match with a score of 7-6 (7-2), 7-5.

Published on: 10/11/2026 - 07:33 Last updated: 10/11/2026 - 08:21

After Kazakhstani Elena Rybakina, ranked number one in the world, announced her withdrawal on the eve of the tournament due to being infected with a virus, Sabalenka became the most likely candidate to win the title.

“I just try to win every match I play,” Sabalenka said, “and at the same time I try to stay in the moment, focus on my performance on each point, and maintain my calm and control of the situation.”

Throughout the match, Sabalenka was the most proactive, as she succeeded in coming back with the result during the first set to force a 5-5 tie, then she showed greater accuracy in directing the balls deep into the court during the tie-break, which she decided in her favor after a direct error committed by Muchova when returning the serve.

In the second set, Muchova broke her opponent's serve at a time when Sabalenka was serving to win the match and the score indicated a 5-4 lead.

But Sabalenka regained her focus and took the lead at 6-5, winning the set and the match.

Sabalenka, who previously topped the world rankings and won four titles in the four major tournaments, is seeking to achieve her first title in the final WTA tournament after losing in the final twice in 2022 and 2025.

With this victory, Sabalenka earned her first three points in the tournament.

In the same group, Russian Mira Andreeva, third in the world, defeated Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, sixth, with a score of 6-4, 6-0.

Andreeva relied on excellent coverage of the court, and succeeded in exploiting four out of six opportunities to break her opponent’s serve, while Svitolina failed to convert any of the six opportunities she had to break the Russian’s serve.

The 19-year-old Russian said, "I was very nervous, and I felt as if my movement was slow, like the movement of a turtle. I felt that I could not hit the ball properly, so I am very happy that I was able to get through the match and control my emotions."

Andreeva will play Sabalenka in her second match in the group stage on Wednesday.

The final WTA tournament, which was moved from Riyadh to Indian Wells in California due to the war between the United States and Iran, brings together the eight best players of the season.

Each player will face off against the other three players in her group, with the first and second placed players from each group qualifying for the semi-finals, scheduled to be held on November 14, followed by the final the next day.

© 2026 AFP

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