Aoyama and Shibahara kick off WTA Finals with straight-sets victory

2023 WTA Finals Cancun • 3 hrs ago

No.3 seeds Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara got the GNP Seguros WTA Finals Cancun underway with a victory on Sunday, defeating No.5 seeds Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs 7-5, 6-2.

In the opening match of the 2023 season-ending championships, it was the all-Japanese pair who prevailed in 1 hour and 36 minutes. Aoyama and Shibahara saved 10 of 12 break points in the doubles showdown.

WTA Finals: Scores | Draws | Order of play

Aoyama and Shibahara begin the round-robin with an early 1-0 lead in the Maya Ka'an Group, while Krawczyk and Schuurs start 0-1. Also in the Maya Ka'an Group are No.2 seeds Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens and No.8 seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez.

A powerful Shibahara return gave her squad an early 3-1 lead in Sunday's clash, but a pair of Schuurs volley winners pulled her and Krawczyk back on serve at 5-5. However, Aoyama and Shibahara reached set point on Schuurs's serve at 6-5, which they converted with a winning volley by Aoyama.

Deep returns by the Japanese duo, some landing square on the baseline, brought them to a 4-1 advantage in the second set. At 5-2, the pair broke serve again, with a deft Shibahara crosscourt winner wrapping up the victory.

Aoyama and Shibahara now have a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head with American Krawczyk and Schuurs of the Netherlands, with all three meetings coming this year. Aoyama and Shibahara also defeated Krawczyk and Schuurs in the WTA 1000 Montreal final this summer.

More to come...