Aryna Sabalenka picked up her first victory in over a month by beating Karolina Muchova in straight sets at the WTA Finals.

Sabalenka won a hard-fought battle against the Czech star and eventually toppled the Wimbledon finalist 7-6, 7-5 to put herself in a very good position to qualify from her group.

The world No 2 suffered an opening round exit at the Wuhan Open against Ann Li and had not tasted victory since beating Renata Zarazúa in the first round of the China Open in early October, but she looked to brush off any fitness or rust concerns with the victory.

The star was happy with her performance against Muchova and she is now eyeing her first-ever WTA Finals title at Indian Wells.

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Asked what aspects of her game she was happy with in an interview with The Tennis Channel, Sabalenka said: “I think I was able to stay calm throughout. There were a lot of breaks, but I tried to stay focused, concentrate on one point at a time, and forget what had just happened.

“I wanted to be present in the moment. Every time she broke my serve, I took a step back and tried to be a little more focused on her serve, so I could react better. The key was also to raise the intensity from the first exchanges of each game.

“I think my first two points were quite intense; that’s where I managed to make her think a little more, and that helped me break her. Muchova is an incredible player; it’s always a tough battle against her.

“She can come back at any moment, and you have to be focused from beginning to end. I’m super happy with the level I played; getting this first win is very important, a great start.

“It’s super special to play here; the crowd creates a great atmosphere and pushes me to play better every time. I really enjoy their support.”

Sabalenka has reached the final of the WTA Finals on two occasions, but she has been beaten both times.

In 2022, she lost to Caroline Garcia, while her 2025 campaign was ended by Elena Rybakina.

She is the top seed at the event following the withdrawal from world No 1 Rybakina and she will Mirra Andreeva and Elina Svitolina in the round robin phase.

Sabalenka will likely need one more victory to ensure qualification from her group, but she will want to top the group to play the second qualifier from the opposing group.

The world No 1 will next be in action on Wednesday, 11th November, where she will play Andreeva. She currently holds a positive head-to-head record against the Russian star, with four victories from her six matches against the Roland Garros champion.