By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday November 6, 2024
Zheng Qinwen powered past Jasmine Paolini to book her spot in the last four of the WTA Finals on her debut.
Photo Source: TTC
Zheng Qinwen continued her recent run of torrid tennis on Wednesday at the WTA Finals, handing Jasmine Paolini a 6-1 6-1 defeat to reach the last four at the tour’s season-ending championships in Riyadh.
22-year-old Zheng becomes the first Chinese player since Li Na to reach the last four at the WTA Finals, and the youngest debutante to do so since Petra Kvitova in 2011.
The Olympic gold medalist was pitch-perfect from start to finish as she improved to 4-0 against the 28-year-old Italian in a battle of WTA Finals debutantes.
“It was one of the best performances I had this year,” she said on court. “I enjoyed playing here a lot tonight.”
Zheng fired 11 aces and saved both break points she faced in the 67-minute shellacking. Paolini managed a hold in her opening service game but was broken five times across her next six service games as Zheng pulled away for her 49th victory of 2024 against 17 losses.
She can become the first Chinese player to ever win 50 matches in a single season with a win in the semifinals on Friday.
Zheng will join Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in the semifinals. She will learn her semifinal opponent on Thursday.
Sabalenka dropped a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 decision to Elena Rybakina as the former Wimbledon champion ended her season on a high note, even though she missed out on qualifying for the semifinals.
The victory marked Rybakina’s sixth win over a reigning World No.1. She finishes her season at 42-11, and 3-3 against the Top-5.
Sabalenka had already clinched first place in the Purple Group, and will face the No.2 qualifier from the Orange Group.
Iga Swiatek faces alternate Daria Kasatkina on Thursday, while Gauff takes on Barbora Krejcikova. Swiatek can qualify if and only if she defeats Kasatkina and Gauff tops Krejcikova. Krejcikova would qualify with a win, or if Swiatek loses to Kasatkina.
