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RIYADH: Aryna Sabalenka kicked off her quest for a maiden WTA Finals title by blasting 11 aces on her way to a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Jasmine Paolini in Riyadh on Sunday.

The world number one was at her serving best, landing a remarkable 81 percent of her first serves in during the 70-minute contest to shoot to the summit of the Stefanie Graf Group.

It was Sabalenka’s 60th win of the season. She trails only Iga Swiatek on the WTA leaderboard for matches won in 2025.

The 27-year-old Belarusian was handed the year-end world number one trophy in a special ceremony in Riyadh on Saturday.

“That felt super special, of course I’m super happy and super proud of the work that has been done and that things are working and I’m getting better and better every day,” said the four-time Grand Slam champion.

“I just hope we’ll keep doing what we’re doing and hopefully we can stay there.”

Sabalenka jumped to 3-0 lead and, despite briefly losing her break advantage, scooped the opening set in just 36 minutes.

She swatted away a pair of break points to hold on to her early lead in the second frame and cruised to the finish line, as Paolini, who is playing singles and doubles this week in Riyadh, ran out of steam.

“She’s a tough opponent, we played a lot and every time it’s a tough battle, doesn’t matter what the score is, I always have to stay focused,” said Sabalenka of the eighth-seeded Italian.

“I think I’m mostly happy with my focus today. I was calm and it felt like everything was in control.”

Meanwhile, Mirra Andreeva, who lost her doubles opener alongside Diana Shnaider, said her mysterious absence from the Tokyo was a misjudgment. If she had played she could have secured the eighth and final singles spot in Riyadh this week.

Andreeva was leapfrogged by Elena Rybakina at the last hurdle in the Race to Riyadh. She missed out despite winning a pair of 1000-level tournaments and reaching two Grand Slam quarter-finals this campaign.

Rybakina came from behind in the standings late in the season, winning Ningbo and reaching the Tokyo semifinals to punch her ticket to Riyadh.

“We just had a talk with our team and we decided to skip the tournament,” the 18-year-old Andreeva told AFP on Sunday.

“In the end, it turned out to be a wrong decision,“

“I guess with experience we’re just learning. This is just my, not even a second full year on the WTA Tour, so I think we’re just going to learn from this, we’re going to get more experience from this and next time I think we’re not going to make that mistake again.”

Stefanie Graf Group action continues at King Saud University Indoor Arena with defending champion Coco Gauff taking on fellow American Jessica Pegula in the second singles match of the day.

TORONTO: Will Smith hit a home run with two outs in the 11th to send the Los Angeles Dodgers to their second straight World Series championship with a 5-4 Game 7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night.
Smith’s second homer of the postseason came on a shot to left on a 2-0 slider from Shane Bieber (2-1).
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led off the home 11th with a double against Yoshinobu Yamamoto (5-1), who started Game 6 on Friday. Guerrero took third on Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s sacrifice. Addison Barger walked. Alejandro Kirk grounded into a season-ending double play.
The Dodgers tied the game at 4 on the first homer of the postseason by Miguel Rojas on a Jeff Hoffman 3-2 slider with one out in the ninth.
In the home ninth, Blake Snell allowed a one-out single and a walk before Yamamoto came in to load the bases with a hit batter before getting a force at home and a flyout to force extra innings.
The Dodgers loaded the bases with one out in the 10th against Seranthony Dominguez but failed to score.
Max Muncy also homered for the Dodgers, who became the first repeat World Series winners since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees.
Toronto’s Ernie Clement had three hits to set a postseason record of 30. He extended his postseason hit streak to 13 games, a franchise record. George Springer added three hits.
Shohei Ohtani, L.A.’s Game 4 starter, allowed Springer’s leadoff single in the third. Springer took second on Nathan Lukes’ sacrifice and moved to third on a wild pitch to Guerrero, who was then walked intentionally. Bichette smashed a first-pitch slider to center for his first homer of the postseason and the Blue Jays jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Ohtani allowed three runs, five hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings.
Smith doubled high off the wall in left-center against Max Scherzer to start the fourth and took third on Freddie Freeman’s single. Muncy walked with one out. Center fielder Daulton Varsho made a diving catch on Teoscar Hernandez’s sacrifice fly but Smith scored.
Scherzer allowed one run, four hits and one walk with three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
Toronto’s Chris Bassitt walked Mookie Betts to start the sixth. Muncy singled and was out at second on Hernandez’s bouncer to the mound. Tommy Edman hit a sacrifice fly to center.
Clement led off the home sixth with a single, stole second and scored on Andres Gimenez’s double to center.
Toronto’s Trey Yesavage allowed Muncy’s third homer of the postseason with one out in the eighth on a 1-1 splitter.