Red-hot Kontaveit gets winning start in Mexico

GUADALAJARA • Anett Kontaveit was the last player to qualify for the WTA Finals, but her form marks her out to be the most dangerous opponent in Mexico.

Her outstanding late-season form continued on Wednesday as she rolled past French Open champion and second seed Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 6-4 in the first match of the season-ending tournament.

Kontaveit, who did not face a break point, captured the first set in 30 minutes with an ace out wide and sealed the win when her Czech opponent sent a backhand into the net on match point, with both players making their Finals debut.

Her four WTA titles this year have come in the past three months and her career-best 11-match winning run has seen the 25-year-old Estonian surge to world No. 8.

Krejcikova, who is the only reigning Grand Slam champion in the competition, never found a rhythm on the purple court in the high-altitude Mexican city.

On recording a Tour-leading 37th win on hard courts this year for the perfect start in Group Teotihuacan, Kontaveit said: "I'm definitely very thrilled to get the win, it was a very tough match. I think I managed to win a lot of points on my first serves once they actually went in.

"During the summer, I was on a bit of a losing streak, then I started working with Dmitry (coach Tursunov) and was really hoping to get a few wins. I managed to win Cleveland, then it just sort of started rolling from there.

"I've been believing in myself a little bit more, and the game definitely has clicked from just getting more wins and playing a lot of tennis and really feeling comfortable, enjoying playing tennis."

Krejcikova, who is also competing in the doubles and is the first player to do so since 2016, is remaining optimistic despite the "difficult" match, noting that the round-robin format was more forgiving than a traditional tournament.

"I'm going to have another five matches that I can play, so I'm looking forward to that," she said.​

Tour-leading number of wins on hard courts this year for Estonia's world No. 8 Anett Kontaveit.

Barbora Krejcikova is the first player to compete in the singles and doubles at the WTA Finals since 2016, when Karolina Pliskova featured in both.

In the later match, Karolina Pliskova continued her dominance of Garbine Muguruza, opening her campaign with a battling 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) victory over the Spaniard.

Czech third seed Pliskova, the oldest player in this year's edition at 29, has now won nine of 11 career meetings with 28-year-old Muguruza, with the latest putting her top of her round-robin's group standings alongside Kontaveit.

This was a clash of the only players here that have Finals experience - five appearances to four - and world No. 4 Pliskova had to dig deep for the victory.

After dropping the first set, she produced a superb serving effort to take the second, putting 16 of 18 first serves in play and dropping just two points on serve to beat the world No. 5.

On the importance of getting off to a flyer, Pliskova said: "Honestly, I think it's huge because, of course, you can relax a bit more. It's not like you can lose the next match.

"Of course, nobody wants to lose any match. But it's like, okay, you have at least that one win, there's not such a pressure that you need to win every other match.

"I just went for it a bit more. I thought I was a bit too passive in the first set and still making mistakes. I said, okay, just go for it a bit more. If I'm still making mistakes, at least I will have some winners... It paid off. I think I really played good that second set."

Pliskova takes on Kontaveit today, while Krejcikova and Muguruza face each other.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS