WTA Finals: Badosa downs Sabalenka; Swiatek loses
Number seven seed Paula Badosa tamed World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-0 in her opening match at the WTA Finals in Guadajalara, Mexico. In a dominant debut match, Badosa won 10 consecutive games. The 23-year-old Spaniard joins No.4 seed Maria Sakkari atop the Chichen Itza Group. Sakkari beat Iga Swiatek of Poland 6-2, 6-4. Notably, Sakkari claimed a 86-minute win over No.5 seed Swiatek.
Why does it matter?
Badosa has been in supreme form of late and has now won her past seven matches. She had recently won the Indian Wells trophy three weeks ago. Notably, Badosa had also beaten Sabalenka at the Western & Southern Open earlier this year. On the other hand, Sakkari showed her steel against Swiatek. She has taken a 3-0 lead in the head-to-head meetings.
Badosa delivers a statement of intent
As per WTA, this was Badosa's fourth Top 5 win of the season. She had fallen behind 2-4 in the opening set but came back strongly. The second set saw her dominate the show. Badosa finished the match with 14 winners to 19 unforced errors. She converted all five of her break points. In contrast, Sabalenka registered 31 unforced errors.
A unique record for Badosa
As per Opta, Badosa has won the match against the highest ranked opponent in her career on hard courts (2nd rank - Sabalenka). Notably, Sabalenka was ranked third when these two met in August in Cincinnati.
8-4 tally for Sakkari against Top 10-ranked opponents
Sakkari had earlier made history for her country this season, becoming the first Greek woman to qualify for the WTA Finals in either singles or doubles. As per WTA, with another win over Swiatek, Sakkari has improved to 8-4 against Top 10-ranked opponents this year at tour-level events. Notably, her eight Top 10 wins currently lead the WTA for the 2021 season.
I think it was a very solid match: Sakkari
Sakkari felt it was a solid match from her side. "I think it was a very solid match from my side. Obviously my serve really helped my game. I felt quite good with the altitude. I could control my shots pretty well. I think every day I'll feel even better," ,Sakkari said in her post-match press conference.
Key stats of the match
Both players served two aces each as Swiatek registered six double faults compared to Sakkari's five. Sakkari converted three of the eight break points. She also sealed nine service games, and 37 service points.
