Iga Swiatek looked rusty on her return after two months out but the world number two rallied for a 4-6 7-5 6-2 win over Barbora Krejcikova to kick-start her WTA Finals title defence in Riyadh on Sunday.
Poland's Swiatek lost in the U.S. Open quarter-finals in September and was leapfrogged in the world rankings by Aryna Sabalenka after opting to skip the WTA Tour's Asian swing due to fatigue.
The 23-year-old, who is looking to reclaim top spot in the Saudi Arabian capital, dropped serve early and was unable to gain a foothold as Wimbledon champion Krejcikova ran away with the first set.
Krejcikova broke twice in the second set after two double faults by an increasingly off colour Swiatek, whose fans at the King Saud University Indoor Arena sensed a big upset and looked to lift the French Open champion.
Swiatek came out swinging from 3-0 down and moved ahead for the first time with a thumping backhand winner, before levelling the match at one set apiece. She held to love for a 5-0 lead in the decider as Krejcikova struggled with a lower back issue and withstood a late charge to close out victory.
Sabalenka began her quest to secure the year-end number one ranking with a thumping 6-3 6-4 victory over China's Zheng Qinwen in her opening round robin match at the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Saturday.
Australian and U.S. Open champion Sabalenka, who is headlining the first women's professional tennis tournament in Saudi Arabia, packed far too much power for Zheng at crucial points in their fourth meeting of 2024 to stay perfect.
"She's such a great player. We always have great battles," Sabalenka said. "She plays aggressive tennis. She forced me to step in and go for it. That's why I bring my best tennis and I'm super happy with the first win."
In a rematch of their Melbourne and Wuhan title clashes, it was Belarusian Sabalenka who edged ahead in a tight opening set with a break in the sixth game and took the early lead in the contest by holding to love.
Olympic champion Zheng enjoyed plenty of vociferous support at the King Saud University Indoor Arena and led four times in a closer second set but Sabalenka drew level each time and finally broke for a 5-4 lead with a searing forehand winner.
She wrapped up the contest on serve despite a wobble with a double fault, when Zheng sent a forehand long.
Purple Group. Swiatek takes on Barbora Krejcikova in the Orange Group on Sunday before Coco Gauff meets Jessica Pegula.
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