Jessica Pegula defeated Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-2 in the opening match of the WTA Finals on Sunday night to get her tournament off to a winning start. This is the first time that the American has won a match at the season-ending round-robin tournament.
Placed fifth in the WTA women’s singles ranking, Pegula’s match was off to a difficult start when she went down 5-3 in the first set. She then successfully broke Rybakina’s service, winning four games in a row to take the set.
Next up, Pegula will have to face number one seed Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday. In her first match of the tournament, Sabalenka brushed aside Maria Sakkari 6-0, 6-1.
