While an already qualified Aryna Sabalenka lost to Elena Rybakina, Zheng Qinwen embraced victory as she defeated Jasmine Paolini to advance to the WTA Finals last four.
Zheng, the Olympic gold champion from China, defeated Paolini of Italy 6-1, 6-1 without much difficulty. Over the course of the 67-minute match, Zheng struck 12 aces and 24 wins, and Paolini was unable to match her powerful plays.
After her victory, the athlete said: “I didn’t know what would happen when I came here… I just told myself to enjoy it, especially because I am in a really difficult group.”
She added: “Finally, I showed off some tennis I really want to play… You are nervous but at the same time you feel confidence because you know your level – and I know how capable I am.”
In a social media post, Zheng stated: “Happy to be Semi final in @wtafinalsriyadh for my first time. Keep going，always fighting. 🎾”
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Making history, Zheng is the second Chinese woman to get to the tournament’s semi-finals, after the renowned Li Na in 2013.
Meanwhile, in a thrilling match, Sabalenka lost to Rybakina 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. Sabalenka recently secured the year-end world number one ranking.
The US Open and Australian winner collapsed in the final set, dropping five straight games as Rybakina delivered a superb win.
Despite Sabalenka’s dominance on the women’s tour, especially on hard courts, Rybakina is one of the few players who can challenge her because of the athlete’s powerful forehand and enormous serves.
Source: BBC