“I Had to Serve Blindly”- Aryna Sabalenka Reveals How She Overcame Unusual WTA Finals Challenge After Win

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Karolina Muchova 7-6, 7-5 in her opening match at the WTA Finals despite harsh sun conditions that forced her to serve blindly at times. After recovering from early breaks in the first set, the Belarusian claimed the tiebreaker 7-2 before closing out the contest in an hour and 53 minutes. The victory leveled their career head-to-head record at 3-3.

Sabalenka is making her sixth consecutive appearance at the year-end tournament, where she remains in pursuit of her first title. Following defending champion Elena Rybakina's withdrawal from the event due to illness, Sabalenka advanced to set up a group-stage clash against Mirra Andreeva, who defeated Elina Svitolina in her opening contest.