WTA Finals, Aryna Sabalenka too strong for Jasmine Paolini

As expected Jasmine Paolini, world number 8, was decisively beaten with a score of 6-3 6-1 in one hour and 10 minutes of play by Belarusian women’s tennis number 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the opening match of the preliminary round dedicated to Steffi Graf of the WTA Finals on the indoor concrete in Riyadh.

Paolini lost her serve already in the second game of the first set, Sabalenka went 3-0 and 4-1 but on 4-2 she returned the break advantage, the only time she suffered one in the whole match. But Jasmine loses her own serve again in the next game and soon after Aryna pockets the first partial at the second opportunity.

The world number 1 from 4-3 in her favor in the first set strung together six consecutive games flying 4-0 in the second. The 29-year-old from Bagni di Lucca, Tuscany, then finally holds serve, but the last two games also belong to the Belarusian, who closes the file on the first match point after canceling three consecutive balls for 5-2.