In the opening bout of the WTA Finals, Anett Kontaveit continued her dominant run with a straight-sets win (6-3, 6-4) over Barbora Krejcikova. The match took place in Guadalajara, Mexico, where Kontaveit's peak form allowed her to overpower the second seed. By taking down the reigning French Open champion, Kontaveit reached 11 wins in a row. Both competitors, aged 25, were debuting on the WTA Finals singles stage.
Anett Kontaveit extended her winning streak with a straight-set 6-3, 6-4 win over Barbora Krejcikova in the opening match of the WTA Finals. Anett Kontaveit’s hot late-season form continued as outclassed second-seeded Krejcikova in Guadalajara, Mexico. Kontaveit recorded her 11th straight match win by defeating the reigning Roland Garros champion. Both the 25-year-old players made their debuts at the WTA singles Finals.
The Estonian showcased her skill in this clash of top seeds, securing the win in 75 minutes. This victory extends a career-high winning streak that includes championship titles in Cluj-Napoca and Moscow. Currently the world number 8, Kontaveit has been in stellar form, winning 26 of her last 28 matches, with trophies from Ostrava and Cleveland added to her tally.
Kontaveit earned her place in the season finale by defeating Simona Halep in the Transylvania Open final, narrowly beating Ons Jabeur for the last available spot. This win over Krejcikova marks her 37th victory on hard courts this year, the most on the tour. It also represents her fifth win against a Top 10 player this season. She managed to dictate the play early on, breaking the Roland Garros champion's serve in both sets.
Kontaveit was remarkably consistent in the first set, balancing six winners with only six unforced errors. While Krejcikova managed nine winners, her game was undone by 18 unforced errors. These mistakes proved costly in the fourth game, where a lost serve and two double faults allowed Kontaveit to pull ahead 3-1.
Maintaining her lead with precise hitting, the Estonian cruised through the first set without any one-sided struggle on her serve, eventually closing it out with three aces in the final game. Carrying that energy into the second set, Kontaveit immediately broke Krejcikova's serve. Despite the Czech player's attempt to vary her shots and find a rhythm, she couldn't break through Kontaveit's defense.
The Estonian remained in control until the very end, easing her way to victory. Impressively, Kontaveit didn't face a single breakpoint during the entire match, winning 85% of the points where her first serve landed. Both women will now face Karolina Pliskova and Garbine Muguruza as they compete in the Teotihuacan Group.