World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka secured her spot in the semi-finals at the WTA Finals after defeating Jasmine Paolini in the Purple Group on Monday.
Sabalenka defeated the Italian 6-3 7-5 to improve to 2-0 and, combined with Qinwen Zheng's victory over Elena Rybakina earlier in the day, ensured that she will finish as the group winner. Top seed Sabalenka has now won 22 of her last 23 matches and moves within one round-robin win of securing the year-end No 1 ranking for the first time.
Tale of the TapePurple Group Zheng overcomes Rybakina Rybakina, beleaguered by insomnia, allergies and injuries, had played only four matches since Wimbledon in mid-July and fatigue played a part as Chinese Olympic gold medallist Zheng recorded her first career win over the 25-year-old in three attempts, winning 7-6 3-6 6-1. Wednesday's Zheng-Paolini winner will join Sabalenka in the semi-finals.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
WTA Finals 2024: Aryna Sabalenka beats Zheng Qinwen; Elena Rybakina faces Jasmine PaoliniAryna Sabalenka continues her dominance over Zheng Qinwen with victory in the first match of the season-ending WTA Finals.
Read more »
WTA Finals Riyadh: Aryna Sabalenka and Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini make winning startsAryna Sabalenka began her quest to secure the year-end No 1 ranking with a thumping victory in her opening round-robin match at the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Saturday.
Read more »
WTA Finals 2024: Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek & Coco Gauff head the field in Saudi ArabiaAryna Sabalenka is looking to cap a superb year with a first WTA Finals triumph. Here's everything you need to know about the event - and cast your vote for the winner.
Read more »
Aryna Sabalenka replaces Iga Swiatek at top of WTA rankingsUS Open champion Aryna Sabalenka rises to number one in the WTA rankings, ending Iga Swiatek's 11-month stay at the summit.
Read more »
Aryna Sabalenka battles back from brink of defeat against Coco Gauff to reach Wuhan Open finalAryna Sabalenka rallied from a set and 4-2 down to beat Coco Gauff in the Wuhan Open semi-finals and extend her winning streak at the tournament to 16 matches.
Read more »
Aryna Sabalenka extends unbeaten Wuhan Open record with third title after beating Zheng Qinwen in finalAryna Sabalenka maintained her unbeaten record at the Wuhan Open with her third title to close in on Iga Swiatek at the top of the rankings.
Read more »