Elena Rybakina rudely sent Amanda Anisimova on her debut at the WTA Finals, the former Wimbledon champion handed the American debutant a 6-3, 6-1 defeat behind accurate serving that saw her lose just four first-serve points throughout the contest.
Rybakina saved a single break point that faded and won 34 of 45 service points as she opened her bid to advance to the round-robin stage of the WTA Finals for the first time.
The win marked Rybakina’s seventh Top 10 win of the season.
Kazakhstan made a late surge to qualify for Riyadh and have now won nine of their last ten matches.
She is now just one tick behind Iga Swiatek in the power games won and lost rankings, as the Pole beat Madison Keys and dropped just three games in doing so.
