Aryna Sabalenka kicked off her WTA Finals campaign with a comfortable straight-sets win in her first round-robin match.

The Belarusian, who was presented with the year-end number one trophy before taking the court, defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-1 to start strong in Riyadh.

Sabalenka is part of the Stefanie Graf group at this year’s Finals, alongside Paolini, Jessica Pegula and 2024 champion Coco Gauff.

She had another milestone to celebrate as well, breaking one of Serena Williams’ long-standing records on top of her opening win over Paolini.

Aryna Sabalenka breaks Serena Williams’ record for single-season prize money

Sabalenka and Paolini each earned $355,000 just for stepping onto the court at the WTA Finals.

But Sabalenka’s victory added another $355,000 to her total, pushing he

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