RIYADH — Plenty of questions loomed as Elena Rybakina and Amanda Anisimova stepped onto the court Saturday to launch their respective WTA Finals campaigns.
Who would have the upper hand in their first career meeting? How would Anisimova handle the pressure of her year-end championships debut? And how would Rybakina respond as the seasoned veteran making her third consecutive appearance?
Rybakina wasted no time providing answers to all of those questions and more. The No. 6 seed broke No. 4 seed Anisimova in the opening game and never looked back, cruising to a 6-3, 6-1 win in just 57 minutes.
With the victory, she joined Iga Swiatek in the win column to close out Day 1 action in the Serena Williams Group.
More to come…
