Dabrowski, Stefani win; Guo, Mladenovic save four match points in FAGE WTA Finals Group 1

The teams of Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani, and Guo Hanyu and Kristina Mladenovic opened their FAGE WTA Finals campaigns with wins in Group 1 action at Indian Wells on Monday night.

Dabrowski and Stefani defeated Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), while Guo and Mladenovic saved four match points in a dramatic 3-6, 6-1, 12-10 comeback victory over Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko.

Dabrowski, Stefani make winning start

Top seeds Dabrowski and Stefani got off to a strong start against Mertens and Zhang, securing an early break of serve. Although Mertens and Zhang broke back, Dabrowski and Stefani broke for a second time before closing out the set 6-3.

In the second set, the top seeds broke in the ninth game to earn an opportunity to serve for the match. However, Mertens and Zhang broke back to force a tiebreak. Dabrowski and Stefani held their nerve to win the tiebreak 7-5 and seal the straight-set victory.

Dabrowski and Stefani are making their first appearance at the WTA Finals as a team.

This is Dabrowski's eighth WTA Finals appearance. Her best result came in 2024, when she won the title alongside Erin Routliffe. Stefani has qualified for the WTA Finals for the second consecutive year, having reached the final last year with Timea Babos.

The pair have won six titles together this year, including three WTA 1000 titles in Wuhan, Beijing and Dubai, and titles in Strasbourg, Eastbourne and Sao Paulo.

Mertens and Zhang are also competing together at the WTA Finals for the first time. Mertens is making her eighth appearance at the tournament with her sixth different partner. She is a two-time WTA Finals champion, having won the title in 2022 and 2026.

Zhang is making her third WTA Finals appearance, with her best result coming in 2019, when she reached the semifinals. The pair won the Australian Open earlier this season and also reached the semifinals in Miami.

Guo, Mladenovic save four match points in dramatic comeback

In the second Group 1 match of the night, Hsieh and Ostapenko made a strong start, taking the opening set 6-3 against Guo and Mladenovic.

However, Guo and Mladenovic responded emphatically, winning the second set 6-1 to force a match tiebreak.

Hsieh and Ostapenko raced to a 6-0 lead in the match tiebreak and extended their advantage to 8-2. They held three match points at 9-6 and a fourth at 10-9, but Guo and Mladenovic staged a remarkable comeback, winning the match tiebreak 12-10 to complete the victory.

Guo and Mladenovic are also making their debut as a team at the WTA Finals. Guo is competing at the season-ending tournament for the first time, while Mladenovic is making her fifth appearance, having previously won the title in 2018 and 2019.

The pair have won two titles together, both coming this season in Auckland and at Wimbledon.

Hsieh and Ostapenko are making their second consecutive appearance at the WTA Finals as a team after reaching the semifinals last year. Hsieh is making her seventh appearance at the tournament, having won the title in 2013 while Ostapenko is making her fourth WTA Finals appearance and has twice reached the semifinals, in 2022 and 2025.

The pair won the title in Brisbane earlier this season and also reached the final in Doha.

Dabrowski, Stefani take early Group 1 lead

With their straight-set victory, Dabrowski and Stefani sit atop Group 1 after the opening round of matches, with Guo and Mladenovic in second place following their three-set victory. They will face off against each other in group action on Wednesday.