Aryna Sabalenka’s bid for her first WTA Finals title begins against Jasmine Paolini on Sunday, as she aims for another victory over the Italian No. 1.

The Belarusian has beaten Paolini in four of their previous encounters, including at the year-end tournament 12 months ago, and is the clear favourite entering their eighth meeting on the women’s tour.

Match preview

Sabalenka has been the No. 1 player for an entire year, and she will finish the season at the top of the women's rankings.

However, the WTA Finals title continues to elude her, having been runner-up to Caroline Garcia in 2022 and eliminated in the semi-finals in the past two years.

Entering her fifth year-end tournament, Sabalenka has not exited early since her debut in 2021, and she is not expected to leave Riyadh premature

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