Aryna Sabalenka got her 2026 WTA Finals campaign back on track with a hard-fought victory over Karolina Muchova on Monday. The Belarusian defeated the Czech 7-6 (2), 7-5 to register her first win at the season-ending tournament and set up a crucial encounter against third seed Mirra Andreeva.

The second-ranked Sabalenka needed one hour and 53 minutes to overcome Muchova in a closely contested Group 2 round-robin encounter. Despite facing resistance in both sets, the four-time Grand Slam champion held her nerve to secure the victory.

"I was just trying to stay calm," Sabalenka said after the match. "She can come back at any time and you have to be focused from the beginning to the end."

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Sabalenka Holds Nerve To Overcome Muchova

Muchova entered the contest as the only player in the eight-woman field with a winning head-to-head record against Sabalenka. Making her WTA Finals debut, the Czech pushed the former world No. 1 throughout the opening set.

Muchova twice moved ahead by a break, but Sabalenka responded on both occasions to take the contest into a tie-break. The Belarusian then raised her level, winning the tie-break 7-2 to take the opening set.

The second set was equally competitive, featuring five service breaks. Muchova fought her way back after trailing 3-5, bringing the score level at 5-5 and putting Sabalenka under pressure.

However, the 28-year-old responded with an important forehand winner to secure another break and move ahead 6-5. She subsequently held her serve to close out the match in straight sets.

The victory keeps Sabalenka's hopes of winning her maiden WTA Finals title alive. She had previously finished runner-up at the tournament in 2022 and 2025.

Sabalenka's Next Opponent Mirra Andreeva Begins With Win

Sabalenka will next face third seed Mirra Andreeva, who also began her WTA Finals campaign with an impressive victory over Elina Svitolina.

The 19-year-old French Open champion defeated Svitolina 6-4, 6-0 in her tournament debut, avenging her defeat to the Ukrainian at the Australian Open earlier this year.

Andreeva dominated the second set and saved all six break points she faced across the match to complete a convincing straight-sets victory. Svitolina, meanwhile, was making her return to the season-ending tournament, having previously won the competition in 2018.

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Sabalenka's Search For First WTA Finals Title

Although Sabalenka won the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in March, the 2026 season has presented a different challenge at the biggest tournaments.

The Belarusian will finish the year without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2022. She is also out of contention for the year-end world No. 1 ranking, despite Elena Rybakina withdrawing from the WTA Finals due to a viral illness.