With a career-defining season nearing its endgame at the WTA Finals in Cancún, Aryna Sabalenka is in uncompromising mood – on and off the court.
On the eve of her opening match against Maria Sakkari, the Belarusian world No 1 led a chorus of disapproval over the tournament’s chaotic organisation, calling on the governing body of the women’s game to “do a better job” after the stadium court was barely laid in time for the players to complete a short practice on it.
In Sakkari, Sabalenka appeared to find an outlet for her frustration, demolishing the Greek eighth seed 6-0, 6-1 with a ruthless, relentless performance that spoke volumes for her determination to retain the top ranking ahead of the chasing Iga Swiatek.
But a statement victory did not mean the 25-year-old had nothing left to say, and afterwards Sabalenka doubled down on her criticism of the WTA.
“It’s another level of disrespect from the WTA for the players, because sometimes I don’t even feel safe to move on this court,” said Sabalenka. “That’s not the level I expect from the WTA Finals.
“I mean, thank you for this challenge I’m facing right now, to kind of like learn how to adapt quick to the conditions,” she added caustically. “Thank you for that. But this is not something I expect from such a high-level tournament.
“I’m really happy that I’m able to ignore all this and do everything I can to win every point I play.”
Sabalenka certainly did that, battling to an early break and then fending off four break points on her own serve to establish a lead that she went on to protect with tigerish ferocity. Despite an awkward wind and a quick, high-bouncing playing surface, many of the early rallies were well contested. But Sabalenka went about her business with unwavering intensity, immediately extinguishing the few opportunities her opponent was able to create, and as game after game rolled by it was impossible not to feel sympathy for Sakkari, who became visibly distraught in the latter stages.
“I was not feeling my game, not feeling comfortable out there,” said the 28-year-old, who qualified for the eight-woman event as the first alternate following Karolina Muchova’s withdrawal with a wrist injury.
“Just a very, very bad day in the office. Hopefully it’s going to be better for Tuesday [when she faces Jessica Pegula].”
While Sakkari was left to lick her wounds, Sabalenka took to social media to elaborate on her concerns about the event’s organisation.
“I am very disappointed with the WTA and the experience so far at the WTA Finals,” the top seed wrote on Instagram. “As I said in my press conference tonight, as a player I feel disrespected by the WTA. I think most of us do. This is not the level of organisation we expect for the finals.
“To be honest, I don’t feel safe moving on this court a lot of the time, the bounce is not consistent at all, and we weren’t able to practise on this court until yesterday for the first time. It’s just not acceptable to me with so much on the line and so much at stake.”
A strong run in Bacalar Group would significantly bolster Sabalenka’s prospects of retaining the top ranking she inherited from Swiatek after the US Open. With 125 points on offer for each match played, and a further 125 allotted for each group stage win, three group victories would guarantee Sabalenka the coveted year-end No 1 ranking, bolstering her existing 630-point lead by 875 points to make a total of 1,505, even if she lost in the semi-finals. With an undefeated title win worth 1,500 points, Swiatek would be powerless to overtake her.
Two group wins combined with a run to the final would also be enough for Sabalenka, giving her 950 points to extend her overall lead to 1,580 points – again, more than her Polish rival could amass even in a best-case scenario.
In the opening match of Bacalar Group, Pegula saw off Elena Rybakina, the fourth seed, in straight sets. Rybakina served for the opening set at 5-3 only for the American to break back before reeling off 10 of the final 12 games.
“I think she made maybe a couple of loose points, and I was able to kind of jump on it and find my momentum,” Pegula, seeded fifth, said of the turnaround. “I think I started serving a lot better after that, and was able to get a read on her serve and start finding my rhythm.”
Pegula refused to be drawn into a debate about the event’s organisation, simply remarking that the stadium court was “not good” while the 11th-hour decision to stage the finals in Cancún, announced last month, meant there was “no time to fix anything”. The WTA Tour addressed Sabalenka’s criticisms in a statement, however, insisting the court met the governing body’s performance standards.
“We’re pleased to host the WTA Finals in Cancún for the first time and worked hard to construct a stadium where the world’s top eight women’s tennis players and doubles teams compete head-to-head,” read the statement. “The team has worked diligently on an expedited timeline amid weather challenges to ensure the stadium and court meet our strict performance standards.”