Iga Swiatek made a ruthless start to her WTA Finals campaign, handing Madison Keys a 6-1, 6-2 defeat on day one of the season-ending championships in Riyadh on Saturday.
The Polish second seed claimed a tour-leading 62nd victory of the year and improved to 7-2 in head-to-head against Keys.
Swiatek is seeking a second WTA Finals crown, having lifted the trophy in Cancun two years ago.
Keys had qualified for the tournament for the first time since 2016 and is one of four Americans in the eight-player singles field in Riyadh this week.
The pair share the Serena Williams Group alongside Amanda Anisimova and Elena Rybakina, who will square off in the Saudi capital later in the day.
“It feels great to be back in Riyadh especially that we’ve been switching places the last few years,” said Swiatek, who is competing in the Finals for a fifth consecutive season.
“Honestly, I’m happy about everything; all the things that I practised, I got it together today, playing with the right balance between playing solid and aggressive. I put in the work in Warsaw before the tournament. That gives me for sure confidence to go forward and develop as a player.”
Swiatek played a near-flawless match to kick off proceedings at the King Saud University Indoor Arena, sealing the win in 61 minutes.
Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion, hadn’t played a match in over two months – since her first-round loss at the US Open – and was understandably rusty at the start, getting broken at love in the opening game of the contest.
Swiatek won 20 of the first 23 points to build a 5-0 advantage, painting the lines with some inch-perfect groundstrokes off both wings.
Keys finally got on the board with a much-needed hold in game six but that didn’t stop her opponent from wrapping up the first set in 23 minutes.
The duo exchanged breaks at the start of the second frame but it was Swiatek who once again grabbed the momentum, forging ahead 5-2.
Keys saved two match points on the Swiatek serve as the Pole showed signs of shakiness trying to close out the contest. But it was only a brief lapse, as Swiatek swatted away a pair of break points en route to a dominant victory.
On Sunday, the top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka begins her bid for a maiden WTA Finals title when the Belarusian takes on two-times major finalist Jasmine Paolini of Italy before holder Coco Gauff meets fellow American Jessica Pegula.
Unlike in the previous two editions of the tournament, the year-end world number one ranking will not be up for grabs with US Open champion Sabalenka assured of finishing on top after building a 1,675-point lead over Swiatek heading to Riyadh.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
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Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
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23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
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Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
