Johanna Konta beats Sam Stosur in opener at WTA Elite Trophy
British number one Johanna Konta made a winning start at the Elite Trophy, beating Australia’s Sam Stosur 6-4 6-2 in Zhuhai, China.
The tournament features the leading 12 players who did not qualify for last week’s WTA Finals in Singapore.
The players are divided into four pools of three, with the group winners qualifying for the knockout stage.
Konta, the top seed, will face world number 23 Caroline Garcia of France in her other pool game.
The Briton looked strong against 2011 US Open champion Stosur, breaking serve four times and dropping just one service game.
The 25-year-old is set to finish the year in the top 10, and would rise to number eight should she win the tournament in China without losing a match.