World number two Aryna Sabalenka opened her WTA Finals campaign with a hard-fought 7-6(2), 7-5 victory over Karolina Muchova at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Monday.

Sabalenka, making her sixth consecutive appearance at the season-ending tournament, needed one hour and 53 minutes to overcome the Czech debutant in their opening Group 2 match. Muchova served for the first set at 5-4, but Sabalenka broke back and dominated the tiebreak before closing out the second set to claim her first win of the event.

Andreeva impresses on debut

Sabalenka will next face third seed Mirra Andreeva, who made a striking debut at the tournament with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Elina Svitolina. The 19-year-old French Open champion won the last seven games of the match, completing victory in 70 minutes against the 2018 WTA Finals champion.

Andreeva is the youngest singles player in the eight-woman field, and her meeting with Sabalenka is now one of the key matches of the group stage, with both players looking to take a step towards the semi-finals, which begin on Saturday.

Sabalenka chasing first Finals crown

Sabalenka is still seeking her first WTA Finals title, having finished as runner-up in both 2022 and 2025. She is the top seed in Indian Wells after world number one Elena Rybakina withdrew on Saturday because of a viral illness.

The Belarusian will finish the season without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2022, and she is out of contention for the year-end world number one ranking. Muchova, meanwhile, reached the event after a breakthrough season that included titles in Doha and Bad Homburg and a run to the Wimbledon final.

The WTA Finals are being held in Indian Wells this year after two years in Riyadh, and feature the top eight women in the world alongside the leading doubles teams. The tournament runs until Sunday, with the round-robin group stage followed by semi-finals and the final.

Svitolina will face Muchova in her next group match, with both players looking for their first win of the tournament after opening defeats.