By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, November 9, 2026
Photo credit: Darren Carroll/USTA
It’s been a turbulent fall for Aryna Sabalenka.
The Belarusian lost her No. 1 ranking to Elena Rybakina and won just one match since her US Open final loss to the Kazakh denied her a Flushing Meadows three-peat.
Today, Sabalenka brought storm to the desert, defeating Karlina Muchova 7-6(5), 7-5 in her WTA Finals opener at Indian Wells.
The second-seeded Sabalenka smacked 22 winners against 18 unforced errors and broke serve five times.
“I was able to stay calm I stayed really inside of myself,” Sabalenka told Tennis Channel. “I was trying to focus point by point, trying to forget about what just happened, and trying to stay in the moment.”
In her sixth consecutive appearance at the prestigious season-ending event, Sabalenka jumped to the lead in Group 2 play, leveling her head-to-head record with Muchova at three wins apiece.
Sabalenka broke back when Muchova served for a one-set lead at 5-4, played a strong tie break pinning the Czech with her first tie break loss of the season then served it out on her second attempt.
This match was a rematch of the Brisbane semifinals, which Sabalenka won 6-3, 6-4, in January.
Today, the second seed hit her way into trouble in the fifth game. Sabalenka spit up a wild double fault then Muchova rifled a forehand return winner for triple break point.
On the second break point, a grunting Sabalenka slapped a forehand into the middle of the net, gifting the break and a 3-2 lead to the Czech.
The Indian Wells champion responded by ripping her forehand with menacing intent. Sabalenka smacked an inside out forehand winner for break point then pounded a screaming forehand strike to break back in the sixth game. Sabalenka surged through a love hold for 4-3.
Stamping a two-ace love hold, including an ace off a second serve, Muchova evened after eight games.
Throughout the set, the WTA Finals debutant was the calmer competitor. Sabalenka spit up two double faults to face break point in the ninth game.
Dancing around her backhand, Muchova fired a forehand that splattered off the baseline and skidded beneath the Belarusian’s racquet. Sabalenka dropped her racquet in disbelief, falling behind 5-4. Sabalenka exploited a double fault and pair of netted backhands to break back in the 10th game.
The seventh-seeded Muchova saved two set points—the first with an inside out forehand and second with a bold serve off the line—and eventually forced the first-set tiebreak.
Though Muchova carried a 10-0 tie break record in 2026 into this breaker, Sabalenka opened with the mini break and was driving the ball deeper. Hitting heavier forehands, Sabalenka provoked successive netted forehands for mini breaks earning set points at 6-2.
On her third set point, Sabalenka closed a comeback set when Muchova sailed a forehand return.
As the Belarusian’s baseline drives pushed Muchova back, she wasn’t getting enough net clearance on her shots. Pasting a forehand into the net to face break point, Muchova hit her fifth double fault to hand Sabalenka the break and a 2-1 lead.
Showing snazzy net skills, a spinning Muchova made three reflex volleys breaking right back in the fourth game.
In a match of momentum shifts, Sabalenka elevated tearing through 10 of 13 points—highlighted by an elegant high backhand volley winner—stretching her lead to 4-2.
When Sabalenka served for the match at 5-4, Muchova coaxed a running forehand error to break back.
Resetting, Sabalenka broke down the Czech’s forehand for double break point. Tomahawking an inside-out forehand, Sabalenka scored her fifth break for 6-5.
“I think every time she would break me I would step back a bit and be more focused on her serve so I could react a little bit better,” Sabalenka said.
Serving for the match again, Sabalenka closed it out in one hour, 53 minutes.
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