A “more aggressive” duo of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini kicked off the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh, presented by PIF, with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Asia Muhammad and Demi Schuurs in the Martina Navratilova Group.
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Order of play
Having not progressed beyond the round-robin phase last year in Riyadh, the Italian pair aims for a deeper run as the top seeds this time. They commenced their journey with a 1-hour and 17-minute victory in their opening match of the tournament.
Errani noted the challenges during the match, stating, “It was a very tough match…the ball is flying, it’s not easy to do lobs.” She explained that the Olympic champions needed to adopt a more aggressive style to adapt to the conditions at King Saud University Indoor Arena.
Errani elaborated, “We have to adjust our playing style; we needed to be more aggressive. Unlike other tournaments where we might stay at the baseline, here we opted for more serve-and-volley tactics, as points tend to be brief.”
The Italian pair consistently strung together games to secure their win. They won three consecutive games after a 2-2 tie in the first set, turning the tide by saving three break points on Paolini’s serve during the fifth game.
In the second set, Muhammad and Schuurs initially surged ahead by winning three straight games from a 2-0 deficit, but Errani and Paolini responded by claiming the last four games to secure the victory. This match ended a season-long tie in head-to-head meetings; previously, Muhammad and Schuurs had defeated the Italians at the BNP Paribas Open, but Errani and Paolini prevailed in their US Open quarterfinal matchup.
Hsieh and Ostapenko Stage Comeback, Avenge Wimbledon Loss
The score of 4-2 will be etched in the memories of Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko, as well as Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens, with the latter duo having led by that margin in both the match tiebreak and earlier in the second set.
Nevertheless, the No. 6 seeds Hsieh and Ostapenko rallied to secure a 1-6, 7-5, [10-5] triumph in 1 hour and 36 minutes, marking a successful start to their 2025 WTA Finals journey.
After the first set, Ostapenko reflected, “We lost 6-1, but it’s still a big achievement to be here. We thought we might lose, but we fought hard.” They quickly improved throughout the match, ultimately finding their rhythm.
After a brief struggle in the first set, Hsieh and Ostapenko faced a setback when they fell behind a break in the second. However, they bounced back to take their first lead at 5-4 before forcing the match tiebreak.
In the tie-break, Kudermetova and Mertens initially led again at 4-2, but Hsieh and Ostapenko rallied with seven points in a row, completing their comeback and avenging their previous loss at Wimbledon.
When asked about the prospect of winning her second Martina Navratilova trophy, Hsieh jokingly responded, “Next time, don’t mention the year; it reminds me how old I’m getting!” Nevertheless, she expressed hope for another title.
As they begin their campaign, both pairs aim to avoid the mistakes of last year when they were eliminated in the round-robin stage, setting their sights on a successful tournament in Riyadh.
