Swiatek on her first win after two months without competition: "I felt rusty".

Absent from the circuit since early September, Iga Swiatek kicked off her Masters campaign with a hard-fought victory over Barbora Krejcikova (4-6, 7-5, 6-2).

It took a while for the world No.2 to find her feet on the Riyadh court, as she explained in a post-match interview: "It wasn't easy. At first, I felt rusty, but I'm glad I found the solution to be more solid.

Barbora took advantage of the fact that I wasn't feeling well at the start of the match. The score went in her favor very quickly. But I had the feeling that the first set was close, that I had my chances."

Iga Swiatek also took the opportunity to thank her fans who had turned out in force during the match: "I'd missed them. In difficult moments like today, your encouragement helped me. My game wasn't good at the start of the match, but you believed in it."