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Aryna Sabalenka kept her Indian Wells win streak alive Monday, defeating Karolina Muchova, 7-6(2), 7-5 in the WTA Finals round robin. The match was the first for both players this week and was the first match of Day 2 of the event that runs until Sunday.
The event is being held in Indian Wells this year, after being held the two previous years in Riyadh, and includes the top-eight ranked women in the world and the top-ranked doubles teams.
Sabalenka is the top seed in the draw after top-ranked Elena Rybakina withdrew Saturday due to what the WTA described as a "viral illness." The Belarus tennis star won the BNP Paribas Open title here in March and her win streak now extends to seven matches. Three of those wins came against top 10 players, including Monday's.
Sabalenka overcame some early trouble to win the match, too. She lost her serve twice in the opening set, only to get back on serve both times. Muchova, of Czechia, went up a break a second time at 5-4 and had a chance to serve for the set.
But Sabalenka didn't go quietly. She won the first two points of the 10th game and easily avoided losing the set by winning the game.
In the next game, with the score tied, 5-5, Sabalanka became the second woman this year to earn her 300th ace of the season. Only Rybakina has recorded more. Sabalenka took back control of the set by holding serve and taking the 6-5 lead.
After Muchova held serve to even the score, Sabalenka took the early lead in the tiebreak and never trailed.
She then carried that momentum into the second set and held off a late push by Muchova to force another tiebreak as the nearly packed Stadium 2 roared inside the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.