Swiatek secures opening win at WTA Finals

RIYADH, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- This year's Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek eased past Australian Open winner Madison Keys in straight sets in the opening singles group match of the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Saturday.

This encounter turned out to be one-sided as Swiatek, in top form, won 82.1 percent of points on her first serve while Keys struggled with her serve, committing seven double faults and being broken five times. Swiatek ultimately cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 victory to claim her opening win in the group stage.

Swiatek and Keys had met twice earlier this season, each winning once, with both matches going to three sets. In the Australian Open semifinals, American Keys edged her Polish opponent in a third-set super tiebreak before going on to claim the title.

However, after suffering a first-round exit at the US Open, Keys had not played any competitive match for more than two months.

"Kind of [pleased] with everything, but mostly with my serve and overall focus," Swiatek said afterward. "I was in the zone from the beginning till the end, and really wanted to keep it that way."

The two singles groups at this year's Finals are named after WTA legends Steffi Graf and Serena Williams. Swiatek and Keys are drawn in the "Serena Williams" group, along with Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and Amanda Anisimova of the United States. Also on Saturday, Rybakina fired seven aces and needed only 57 minutes to defeat Anisimova 6-3, 6-1.

Earlier in the day, Belarusian ace Aryna Sabalenka received the year-end world No. 1 trophy from the WTA, having already secured the top ranking before the tournament. It marks the second consecutive year that Sabalenka finishes the season as the WTA's year-end singles world No. 1.

"This means a lot to me," said Sabalenka. "We've put a lot of hard work in this year, and hard work pays off. Every final and every match was incredible. I'm super proud of the season and hopefully I can finish on a very good note here in Riyadh."

Matches in the "Steffi Graf" group, led by Sabalenka, will begin on Sunday, with the top seed facing Italy's Jasmine Paolini first. Later that evening, defending champion Coco Gauff will take on Jessica Pegula in an all-American clash.

This is the second consecutive year that the WTA Finals are held in Riyadh. In last year's final, China's Zheng Qinwen finished runner-up to Gauff. Hampered by injuries, Zheng did not qualify for the tournament this year. ■