China’s Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen began her debut campaign at the WTA Finals in Riyadh without securing the desired victory, falling to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, in another Purple Group singles match, Italy’s Jasmine Paolini triumphed over Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 7-6(5), 6-4.

Zheng has faced Sabalenka three times this season, losing all encounters, including a hard-fought three-set match in the Wuhan Open final last month.

Despite serving an impressive eight aces in her WTA Finals debut, Zheng was broken once in each set and ultimately lost to the top seed.

Reflecting on her performance, Zheng remarked, “I gave about 60-70percent of my best today, and there are still details to improve. Once I correct those, I believe I can truly challenge her.”

The match atmosphere was vibrant, with Chinese fans in the arena cheering Zheng on, their chants echoing throughout the venue.

“It felt like I was back in China. Their support gave me a lot of strength,” said Zheng.

Looking ahead, Zheng will face Rybakina and Paolini in the remaining round-robin group stage matches. “I’ll focus on targeted training, but the most important thing is to play my tennis and show my style,” she said.

Paolini, also competing in her first WTA Finals, claimed the first set in a close tiebreak and then capitalized on a key break in the second set’s seventh game to defeat Rybakina, who was playing her first tour match since withdrawing from the US Open before the second round.

The doubles Green Group saw two thrilling comebacks in the opening round. Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez defeated Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens 1-6, 6-1, 10-6. Meanwhile, Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend defeated Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko 3-6, 6-3, 11-9.