Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina produced statement-opening victories on the first day of the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
Wimbledon champion Swiatek, bidding to win the season-ending Finals for the second time, took just 61 minutes to dismantle Australian Open winner Madison Keys 6-1, 6-2.
Kazakhstan’s sixth seed Rybakina was on court for only 57 minutes in a dominant 6-3, 6-1 win against American fourth seed Amanda Anisimova in the other match in the Serena Williams Group on Saturday.
The top eight women’s players in singles and doubles are competing in Saudi Arabia, where £12m ($15.5m) in prize money will be won.
Victory never appeared in doubt for 2023 winner Swiatek after an error-strewn start by Keys, who was contesting her first match since losing in the first round of the US Open in August.
World number two Swiatek broke the American’s serve at the first opportunity – helped by two double faults – and did not relent from there. Keys had won just three points by the time she found herself 5-0 down.
Keys, who ended her wait for a first major title in January, held serve at the third attempt to halt Swiatek’s progress temporarily – but the 30-year-old ultimately ended the 23-minute first set with only one winner to 15 unforced errors.
Six-time major winner Swiatek kept her momentum with an immediate break in set two, but a lapse in concentration in the next game gave Keys a route back into the contest.
But two more double faults by Keys handed the initiative back to her opponent, and Swiatek reeled off five of the final six games to complete an inevitable victory.
Asked what pleased her most about her performance, the 24-year-old told the crowd: “Everything. All the things I have practiced, I got it together today to play with the right balance between playing solid and aggressive.”
Serve fires Rybakina to victory
Elena Rybakina achieved her seventh top-10 win of the season, equalling her most in a calendar year
Rybakina produced a serving masterclass, hitting seven aces and winning 87% of points behind her first serve in a clinical display.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion seized four of her five break-point opportunities in an efficient victory over Wimbledon and US Open runner-up Anisimova.
In-form Rybakina is the player with the most WTA-level wins since the end of the US Open, having won the Ningbo Open in October to secure her place at the Finals.
Rybakina said in her post-match interview: “I knew I needed to serve well. I’m pleased with the way I played and hopefully I can continue serving like this all week.”
In the doubles competition, the Italian top seeds, Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani, defeated American Asia Muhammad and Dutch partner Demi Schuurs 6-3, 6-3.
How do the WTA Finals work?
Matches take place in a round-robin format between two groups of four, with three points awarded for a victory.
The top two players or doubles pairs from each group advance to the knockout stage. If players are tied, the head-to-head winner advances.
The Stefanie Graf Group, which takes centre stage on Sunday, features top seed Aryna Sabalenka, 2024 winner and French Open champion Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Jasmine Paolini.
The tournament is contested on the hard courts at the King Saud University Indoor Arena, with the final scheduled for Sunday, 8 November.
