Swiatek dismantles Keys in 61 minutes at WTA Finals

Iga Swiatek produced a ascendant commencement to her bid for a 2nd WTA Finals title, needing only 61 minutes to dismantle Madison Keys successful Riyadh.

Wimbledon champion Swiatek overpowered Australian Open victor Keys 6-1 6-2 successful nan first lucifer of nan season-ending tournament.

The apical 8 women's players successful singles and doubles are competing successful Saudi Arabia, wherever £12m ($15.5m) successful prize money will beryllium won.

American 4th seed Amanda Anisimova faces Kazakhstan's sixth seed Elena Rybakina successful nan different lucifer successful nan Serena Williams Group connected Saturday.

Victory ne'er appeared successful uncertainty for 2023 victor Swiatek aft an error-strewn commencement by Keys, who was contesting her first lucifer since losing successful nan first information of nan US Open successful August.

World number 2 Swiatek collapsed nan American's service astatine nan first opportunity - helped on by 2 double faults - and did not relent from there. Keys had won conscionable 3 points by nan clip she recovered herself 5-0 down.

Keys, who ended her hold for a first awesome title successful January, held service astatine nan 3rd effort to temporarily halt Swiatek's advancement - but nan 30-year-old yet ended nan 23-minute first group pinch only 1 victor to 15 unforced errors.

Six-time awesome victor Swiatek kept her momentum pinch an contiguous break successful group two, but a lapse successful attraction successful nan adjacent crippled gave Keys a way backmost into nan contest.

But 2 much double faults by Keys handed nan inaugural backmost to her opponent, and Swiatek reeled disconnected 5 of nan last six games to complete an inevitable victory.

Asked what pleased her astir about her performance, nan 24-year-old told nan crowd: "Everything. All nan things I person practised, I sewage it together coming to play pinch nan correct equilibrium betwixt playing coagulated and aggressive.

"I'm happy I could bring my crippled today."

Matches return spot successful a round-robin format betwixt 2 groups of four, pinch 3 points awarded for a victory.

The apical 2 players aliases doubles pairs from each group beforehand to nan knockout stage. If players are tied, nan head-to-head victor advances.

The Stefanie Graf Group, which takes centre shape connected Sunday, features apical seed Aryna Sabalenka, 2024 victor and French Open champion Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Jasmine Paolini.

The tourney is contested connected nan difficult courts astatine nan King Saud University Indoor Arena, pinch nan last taking spot connected Sunday, 8 November.