Aryna Sabalenko looks determined to surpass her successful performance at the Tournament of Champions last year (she reached the final), defeating WTA No. 1 Maria Sakkari without appeal on Sunday in her first match in Cancun, Mexico. .

Aryna SabalenkoPhoto: Sarah Stier/Getty images/Profimedia

Aryna Sabalenko lost only one game to Maria Sakkari

The athlete from Belarus played almost perfectly against the player from Greece and won after an hour and 15 minutes with the score 6-0, 6-1.

Sabalenka could even make a “double bagel”, but missed three match points with a score of 6-0, 5-0.

Sakkari advanced to the Tournament of Champions after Karolina Mukhova announced her defeat. In this game, Maria scored 34 points (even served 4 aces), and many games went into “overtime”.

Know:

  • It was the tenth meeting between Aryna and Maria, and the WTA leader now leads 7-3.
  • The last player to achieve such a clear victory at the Tournament of Champions was Sam Stosur: 6-1, 6-0 against Na Li (2011).
  • Only Lindsay Davenport (2004) and Simona Halep (2015) have won their first set at the Tournament of Champions 6-0.

Jessica Pegula defeated Elena Rybakina at Tournament of Champions 2023

In the first match in Cancun, Jessica Pegula beat Elena Rybakina in straight sets 7-5, 6-2.

Rybakina started the game better and led 5-3, but Pegula fought back effectively and missed only two more games to the end.

The Kazakh player made 37 unforced errors in this match, while the American made only 16.

What you need to know about the Tournament of Champions 2023

The 2023 Tournament of Champions will be held from October 29 to November 5 on indoor hard in Cancun, Mexico. Its total prize pool is $9,000,000, starting with the top eight players of the season, and the reigning champion is Caroline Garcia (she did not qualify for this year’s edition).

​h3: Bacalar Group

1. Aryna Sabalenko (favorite 1) 1 win (average 2-0 sets)

2. Jessica Pegula (5) 1 (2-0)

3. Olena Rybakina (4) 0 (0-2)

4. Maria Sakkari (8) 0 (0-2)

Chetumal group

1. Iga Sviatek (2)

2. Coco Gauf (3)

3. Ons Jaber (6)

4. Marketa Vondrousova (7).