Aryna Sabalenka and Zheng Qinwen are set to meet yet again this season in their opening match at the WTA Finals, while Iga Swiatek is slated to start her run by taking on Barbora Krejcikova.
After the draw in Riyadh was released on Tuesday, it didn’t take long before opening matchups were also revealed.
And right at the start of the WTA Finals, there will be a rematch of this year’s Australian Open final where Sabalenka beat Zheng in two sets. Lately, the new world No. 1 also defeated the Chinese tennis star in the US Open quarterfinal and the Wuhan Open final, respectively.
On the other side, Swiatek – who hasn’t played since the US Open and has a new coach – will take on reigning Wimbledon champion Krejcikova, who is just 2-4 in her last four tournaments. However, it should be noted that the Czech won their last two meetings that came in 2022 Ostrava and 2023 Dubai.
Elena Rybakina also set for a return
After not playing since the US Open and mysteriously taking some time away from tennis, the 2022 Wimbledon champion arrived in Riyadh over the weekend and now she is set to make a comeback at the WTA Finals.
In her first match back, the world No. 5 will clash against this year’s French Open and Wimbledon…
