By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, November 9, 2026Photo credit score: Darren Carroll/USTA
It’s been a turbulent fall for Aryna Sabalenka.
The Belarusian misplaced her No. 1 rating to Elena Rybakina and gained only one match since her US Open ultimate loss to the Kazakh denied her a Flushing Meadows three-peat.
At the moment, Sabalenka introduced storm to the desert, defeating Karlina Muchova 7-6(5), 7-5 in her WTA Finals opener at Indian Wells.
The second-seeded Sabalenka smacked 22 winners in opposition to 18 unforced errors and broke serve 5 occasions.
“I used to be capable of keep calm I stayed actually within myself,” Sabalenka advised Tennis Channel. “I used to be attempting to focus level by level, attempting to overlook about what simply occurred, and attempting to remain within the second.”
In her sixth consecutive look on the prestigious season-ending occasion, Sabalenka jumped to the lead in Group 2 play, leveling her head-to-head document with Muchova at three wins apiece.
Sabalenka broke again when Muchova served for a one-set lead at 5-4, performed a powerful tie break pinning the Czech together with her first tie break lack of the season then served it out on her second try.
This match was a rematch of the Brisbane semifinals, which Sabalenka gained 6-3, 6-4, in January.
At the moment, the second seed hit her approach into bother within the fifth sport. Sabalenka spit up a wild double fault then Muchova rifled a forehand return winner for triple break level.
On the second break level, a grunting Sabalenka slapped a forehand into the center of the online, gifting the break and a 3-2 result in the Czech.
The Indian Wells champion responded by ripping her forehand with menacing intent. Sabalenka smacked an inside out forehand winner for break level then pounded a screaming forehand strike to interrupt again within the sixth sport. Sabalenka surged by a love maintain for 4-3.
Stamping a two-ace love maintain, together with an ace off a second serve, Muchova evened after eight video games.
All through the set, the WTA Finals debutant was the calmer competitor. Sabalenka spit up two double faults to face break level within the ninth sport.
Dancing round her backhand, Muchova fired a forehand that splattered off the baseline and skidded beneath the Belarusian’s racquet. Sabalenka dropped her racquet in disbelief, falling behind 5-4. Sabalenka exploited a double fault and pair of netted backhands to interrupt again within the tenth sport.
The seventh-seeded Muchova saved two set factors—the primary with an inside out forehand and second with a daring serve off the road—and finally pressured the first-set tiebreak.
Although Muchova carried a 10-0 tie break document in 2026 into this breaker, Sabalenka opened with the mini break and was driving the ball deeper. Hitting heavier forehands, Sabalenka provoked successive netted forehands for mini breaks incomes set factors at 6-2.
On her third set level, Sabalenka closed a comeback set when Muchova sailed a forehand return.
Because the Belarusian’s baseline drives pushed Muchova again, she wasn’t getting sufficient web clearance on her pictures. Pasting a forehand into the online to face break level, Muchova hit her fifth double fault handy Sabalenka the break and a 2-1 lead.
Exhibiting snazzy web expertise, a spinning Muchova made three reflex volleys breaking proper again within the fourth sport.
In a match of momentum shifts, Sabalenka elevated tearing by 10 of 13 factors—highlighted by a chic excessive backhand volley winner—stretching her result in 4-2.
When Sabalenka served for the match at 5-4, Muchova coaxed a operating forehand error to interrupt again.
Resetting, Sabalenka broke down the Czech’s forehand for double break level. Tomahawking an inside-out forehand, Sabalenka scored her fifth break for 6-5.
“I believe each time she would break me I’d step again a bit and be extra centered on her serve so I might react a bit of bit higher,” Sabalenka stated.
Serving for the match once more, Sabalenka closed it out in a single hour, 53 minutes.
