Cancun
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus eased past Greek Maria Sakkari, the No. 8 seed, to win her round-robin opener at the WTA Finals. In their 10th meeting, Sabalenka secured a 6-0, 6-1 victory in just 74 minutes. Sabalenka came into the match with a 6-3 advantage in their head-to-head record, including a 2-0 record this season. However, Sakkari had previously won both of their encounters at the WTA Finals in Guadalajara and Fort Worth. As a runner-up last year, Sabalenka has the chance to become the first player to make back-to-back finals at the year-end championships since Serena Williams in 2013 and 2014. She is also working to retain her No. 1 ranking at the end of the year. In the women’s doubles, the No. 1 seeds, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, suffered a loss to reigning US Open champions Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe with a score of 6-7(2), 3-6 in group play. Dabrowski and Routliffe are at the top of the Mahahual Group with a 1-0 record, while Gauff and Pegula begin 0-1. Other teams in the Mahahual Group include No. 4 seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova and No. 6 seeds Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva.Earlier on Sunday, the No. 3 seeds pair, Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara of Japan, got the WTA Finals underway by defeating No. 5 seeds Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs 7-5, 6-2. Aoyama and Shibahara saved 10 of 12 break points in the doubles showdown, giving them an early 1-0 lead in the Maya Ka’an Group. Krawczyk and Schuurs start 0-1. Also in the Maya Ka’an Group are No. 2 seeds Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens and No. 8 seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez.
