China's Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen made her debut at the WTA Finals in Riyadh without securing the desired victory, falling to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday.
Meanwhile, in another Purple Group singles match, Italy's Jasmine Paolini triumphed over Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 7-6(5), 6-4.
Zheng has faced Sabalenka three times this season, losing all encounters, including a hard-fought three-set match in the Wuhan Open final last month.
Despite serving an impressive eight aces in her WTA Finals debut, Zheng was broken once in each set and ultimately lost to the top seed.
Reflecting on her performance, Zheng said this was the first time she approached Sabalenka, a formidable opponent, as an "ordinary" competitor.
"I felt that today was possibly the first time I treated her as just another ordinary opponent. At the beginning, we were quite evenly matched. The key moments were when I lost my serve, including in the second set, which contributed to the final scores of 3-6 and 4-6. She showed me areas where I need to improve. I believe I gave about 60-70 percent of my best today, and there are still details to improve. Once I correct those, I believe I can truly challenge her," Zheng said.
Despite the challenging start, Zheng maintained a relaxed demeanor, emphasizing the importance of enjoyment in her experience at the WTA Finals.
"My main goal in participating in this event is to enjoy myself and play happily. In previous tournaments, I felt a lot of pressure. But this time, even after losing this first match, I can continue competing. While losing the first match might increase the pressure for the next two, I think that's normal. I just need to go at my own pace," she said.
The match atmosphere was vibrant, with Chinese fans in the arena cheering Zheng on, their chants echoing throughout the venue.
"I am truly thankful for the fans who flew all the way from China to cheer for me in Riyadh, as well as my audience from the local communities. Their presence transformed the venue into a place filled with Chinese voices, which was incredibly powerful. Before the match, I didn't expect this at all. Playing against her here felt like I was back in China, and that gave me a lot of strength," said Zheng.
Looking ahead, Zheng will face Rybakina and Paolini in the remaining round-robin group stage matches. Zheng said she will focus on targeted training, but the most important thing is to play her tennis and show her style.
Paolini, also competing in her first WTA Finals, claimed the first set in a close tiebreak and then capitalized on a key break in the second set's seventh game to defeat Rybakina, who was playing her first tour match since withdrawing from the US Open before the second round.
The doubles Green Group saw two thrilling comebacks in the opening round. Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez defeated Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens 1-6, 6-1, 10-6. Meanwhile, Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend defeated Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko 3-6, 6-3, 11-9.
Zheng Qinwen loses opening match to Sabalenka at WTA Finals
