RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Great athletes have a habit of attracting great athletes and it was a treat when Neymar made a surprise appearance on the opening day of the WTA Finals presented by PIF in Riyadh.

WTA finals Riyadh: results | Schedule | Ranking

Brazilian soccer legend and star of Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal led the coin toss as Jasmine Paolini met Elena Rybakina and later visited world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

“I have really cool pictures with him,” Sabalenka said. “We had a funny conversation. I received a t-shirt with his signature and a message to me. He watched my game. It's a joy that such big players come to watch me play. I mean, he was on my side.”

Sabalenka had every reason to be happy as she won in straight sets over Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen. But in the championship at the end of the year, as in football at the highest level, yesterday is over – what do you have for me today?

The goal, so to speak: continue to survive and move forward.

And so on Monday we are already facing the decisive second group games of the powerful Purple Group. Day 3 features two undefeated players looking to get a lead and two looking to get their first win. It is a potential turning point, a day that promises a significant separation.

Schedule for day 3

1 p.m. local time

(6) N. Melichar-Martinez (USA) / E. Perez (AUS) vs. (8) K. Siniakova (CZE) / T. Townsend (USA)

Not before 3:30 p.m

(5) E. Rybakina (KAZ) vs. (7) Q. Zheng (CHN)

Not before 6 p.m

(1) A. Sabalenka vs. (4) J. Paolini (ITA)

Followed by

(1) L. Kichenok (UKR) / J. Ostapenko (LAT) vs. (3) S. Hsieh (TPE) / E. Mertens (BEL)

Purple Group Ascension Scenarios

• If Sabalenka and Zheng win their next game, Sabalenka advances as group winner and Rybakina is eliminated (Zheng and Paolini would play for second place on Wednesday).
• If Sabalenka wins in straight sets and Rybakina wins in three sets, Sabalenka advances (position to be determined).
• If Paolini and Rybakina win, Paolini advances as group winner and Zheng is eliminated (Rybakina and Sabalenka will play for second place on Wednesday).
• If Paolini wins in straight sets and Zheng wins in three sets, Paolini advances (position to be determined).
• Any other combination of results means progression depends on the final games

Day 3 Breakdown

No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (1-0) vs. No. 4 Jasmine Paolini (1-0)

Head-to-head: 2-1

Latest: Sabalenka won the 2023 round of 16 in Beijing 6:4, 7:6 (4).

Sabalenka, who has won 21 of her last 22 games, is playing like someone who wants to finish No. 1 for the first time at the end of the year. With the opening loss to Zheng 6-3, 6-4, Sabalenka is two group wins away from securing the honor.

She won three titles – Cincinnati, the US Open and Wuhan – within two months and has adapted perfectly to a wide range of conditions. The most recent challenge was a pro-Zheng crowd at the King Saud University sports arena for the first game in Riyadh.

“To be honest, I was quite surprised,” Sabalenka said afterwards. “I didn't expect so many Chinese fans and it's cool to see. I'm glad it didn't work out for her. But it was still a really great atmosphere.”

While Sabalenka is 2-1 up in the head-to-head, she and Paolini haven't played in more than a year – and today the 28-year-old Italian is a vastly improved player. Her 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Elena Rybakina was her third top-10 win this year in Hologic WTA Tour events. That's as many as in all of her previous seasons as a professional.

Paolini became the second oldest player to win her first match at the WTA Finals, after 29-year-old Li Na in 2011.

“Her first serve was so fast,” Paolini said of Rybakina. “But yeah, I think I played a really solid game and didn't make too many mistakes. I think that was the key to getting them to play lots and lots of balls.”

The fast defender will follow a similar strategy against Sabalenka.

No. 7 Zheng Qinwen (0-1) vs. No. 5 Elena Rybakina (0-1)

Head-to-head: 2-0, Rybakina

Latest: Rybakina won 6-1, 6-2 in the round of 16 in Beijing in 2023

Despite strong support from the crowd, Zheng lost to Sabalenka 0-5. She is in a 0-2 hole against Rybakina and needs to serve better to avoid a 0-3 loss. The same goes for Rybakina, of course, who hadn't played since withdrawing from the US Open before her second-round match.

In their first matches, Zheng and Rybakina hit eight aces each, but their first serve odds were 51 and 50, respectively.

“I definitely have to improve on that for the next game,” said Rybakina. “I don't expect much. I’ve just trained for two and a half weeks, so it’s difficult to expect anything more.”

At his best, Rybakina is historically lethal on hard courts. This year she is 23-6 (.793), a winning percentage bettered only by Iga Swiatek (.857) and Sabalenka (.848).

While Rybakina's game has been underrated recently, the opposite is true for Zheng. While the other seven singles players here were already in Riyadh or making their way there, Zheng played at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo – and won it. Her next win will be her 58th^Th of the year.