Aryna Sabalenka equals 10-year Serena Williams record as the WTA Finals get underway

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Aryna Sabalenka got her WTA Finals venture off to a dream start as she overcame Qinwen Zheng in her group stage opener.

Sabalenka is the world number one at the WTA Finals, where she has been drawn in the Purple Group in Riyadh.

Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini are in the same group, with the latter having beaten the former in their opener.

Sabalenka overtook Iga Swiatek as world number one just before the WTA Finals, with the two potentially set to renew their rivalry this week.

But first up for the new world number one was a tricky meeting on paper with Zheng, although Sabalenka ultimately made light work of her opponent.

Aryna Sabalenka equals 10-year Serena Williams record

Sabalenka stormed to a 6-3, 6-4 victory in Saudi Arabia, taking her head-to-head record against the Chinese ace to 5-0.

READ MORE: Qinwen Zheng says whether she actually has any friends on the WTA Tour

But plenty of pressure remains on the former, with OptaAce noting that Sabalenka is the first player to make consecutive WTA Finals appearances as world number one since Serena Williams in 2013-14.

Aryna Sabalenka storms past Qinwen Zheng at WTA Finals

All eyes will be on Sabalenka as she aims to make it through the group stages, with world number four Paolini up next.

She then meets world number five Rybakina, with history firmly on Sabalenka’s side at this year’s tournament.

The Belarusian has won 11 matches in 2024 against the other seven WTA Finals players, and also leads the tour with 10 victories against top-10 opponents.

READ MORE: WTA Finals 2024: How to watch, prize money, dates, prediction and everything you need to know

But form often goes out of the window at such events, with Sabalenka simply needing to take the tournament one game at a time.

In the other side of the draw, WTA Tour stars Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Barbora Krejcikova join Swiatek in the Orange Group.

Zheng will be desperate to see the back of Sabalenka, with four of her five career wins over the Chinese star coming this year alone, beginning in the 2024 Australian Open final.