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Iga Swiatek produced a dominant start to her bid for a second WTA Finals title, needing only 61 minutes to dismantle Madison Keys in Riyadh.
Wimbledon champion Swiatek overpowered Australian Open winner Keys 6-1 6-2 in the first match of the season-ending tournament.
The top eight women's players in singles and doubles are competing in Saudi Arabia, where £12m ($15.5m) in prize money will be won.
American fourth seed Amanda Anisimova faces Kazakhstan's sixth seed Elena Rybakina in the other match in the Serena Williams Group on Saturday.
Victory never appeared in doubt for 2023 winner Swiatek after an error-strewn start by Keys, who was contesting her first match since losing in the first round of the US Open in August.
World number two Swiatek broke the American's serve at the first opportunity - helped along by two double faults - and did not relent from there. Keys had won just three points by the time she found herself 5-0 down.
Keys, who ended her wait for a first major title in January, held serve at the third attempt to temporarily halt Swiatek's progress - but the 30-year-old ultimately ended the 23-minute first set with only one winner to 15 unforced errors.
Six-time major winner Swiatek kept her momentum with an immediate break in set two, but a lapse in concentration in the next game gave Keys a route back into the contest.
But two more double faults by Keys handed the initiative back to her opponent, and Swiatek reeled off five of the final six games to complete an inevitable victory.
Asked what pleased her most about her performance, the 24-year-old told the crowd: "Everything. All the things I have practised, I got it together today to play with the right balance between playing solid and aggressive.
"I'm happy I could bring my game today."
Matches take place in a round-robin format between two groups of four, with three points awarded for a victory.
The top two players or doubles pairs from each group advance to the knockout stage. If players are tied, the head-to-head winner advances.
The Stefanie Graf Group, which takes centre stage on Sunday, features top seed Aryna Sabalenka, 2024 winner and French Open champion Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Jasmine Paolini.
The tournament is contested on the hard courts at the King Saud University Indoor Arena, with the final taking place on Sunday, 8 November.
