How Sabalenka defeated Muchova
Muchova led twice in the first set, with breaks at 3-2 and again at 5-4. Sabalenka broke back twice, then served two set points on the Czech’s serve at 6-5. Muchova saved them and held, but Sabalenka took the tie-break with a score of 7-2. Muchova had won every tiebreak this season.
The second set opened with three consecutive breaks, and Sabalenka took a 5-3 lead. He was broken on serve at 5-4 for the match, but immediately broke again and served it out for his second match-pony.
There were a total of nine breaks of serve, including five for Sabalenka. She committed seven double faults but won 75 percent of her first serve points (33 of 44).
Sabalenka levels the head
Muchova was leading them 3-2 before the game. Sabalenka has now won her last two matches after winning in straight sets in the Brisbane semi-finals in January.
Sabalenka, making her sixth straight WTA Finals, now has a 13-9 record at the event. He lost the final in 2022 and 2025. The 200-point win puts her 379 ahead of Mirra Andreeva in the race for the year-end No. 2 ranking ahead of Andreeva’s first match.
The 30-year-old Muchova is making her WTA finals debut. He had qualified for 2023 but withdrew with a wrist injury.
WTA Finals Group 2: Provisional Standings
| Player: | Wins and losses | Sets | Games: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) | 1-0 | 2-0 | 14-11: |
| 2. Mira Andreeva (RUSSIA) | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 3. Elina Svitolina (UKR) | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 4. Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic) | 0-1 | 0-2 | 11-14: |
Mirra Andreeva will play Elina Svitolina in the other Group 2 match on Monday. The top two advance to the semifinals on Saturday. Sabalenka will play Andreeva and Svitolina in her next two matches.
