Aryna Sabalenka became the first player to secure a semi-final spot at the WTA Finals when she defeated the resilient Jasmine Paolini in straight sets.
Top seed Sabalenka won 6-3 7-5 in a victory that also confirmed Elena Rybakina’s elimination from the season-ending tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Earlier on Monday, Kazakhstan’s Rybakina was defeated 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 6-1 by Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen for her second defeat in the final. She needed a win from Paolini to keep her hopes alive.
But a horror victory over the Italian – which saw her save two set points – took Sabalenka one step closer to clinching a first WTA Finals title, as well as the year-end number one ranking.
Should she beat Rybakina in her last match in the Purple Group on Wednesday, the Belarusian will remain at the top of the rankings until 2025, beyond the reach of Iga Swiatek.
“I’m proud of myself. Not just of myself, of my team,” says 26-year-old Sabalenka.
“We were able to overcome a lot of things. To be able to show such great tennis and become number one in the world. It’s teamwork, it’s not just me.
“Nobody sees the work behind the scenes. But they do a lot for me. I really appreciate them for everything they do for me. This is the motivation for me to keep winning on this track.”
An early double serve break left Sabalenka – a two-time Grand Slam champion in 2024 – grounded against Paolini, and while the 28-year-old fourth seed canceled out one of those breaks, there was little she could do to challenge her. great opponent.
The second set, however, told a different story. Although Sabalenka had trailed four straight matches after an early break for Paolini, she was left frustrated as the Italian, who was enjoying a breakthrough season on the WTA Tour, staged a comeback to take the lead 5-4.
But after saving two set points, a switch flipped for Sabalenka, immediately breaking Paolini’s serve again before closing out the match at the first time of asking.
“The second set was quite difficult. I just tried to stay aggressive, to show her that I’m going to fight for this set no matter what,” Sabalenka added.
“I’m very happy to finish this match in straight sets.”
The WTA Finals will be held in Saudi Arabia for the first time – a move that has been criticized by some due to the country’s human rights record.
This year’s tournament has record prize money, with the singles champion set to collect around £4 million.
In the Orange Group, Jessica Pegula faces Barbora Krejcikova on Tuesday before defending champion Swiatek plays Coco Gauff.
Third time lucky for Zheng v Rybakina
Prior to the defeat to Paolini on Saturday, the opening day of the WTA Finals, the 25-year-old Rybakina had not played for two months due to a combination of illness and injury.
The former Wimbledon champion looked tired throughout that match but started stronger against Zheng, although it was the Chinese player who sealed the first break of service on her way to a 4-1 lead.
From then on, Zheng’s unforced error count started to creep up and while Rybakina was able to fight his way back into the set by winning three straight games, a long return from the Kazakh in the tie-break wrapped up the opening set for Zheng.
Little was able to separate the pair early in the second set, but when she got 3-2 and a break up, Rybakina found a much-needed high gear.
After regaining the immediate break, she saved two more break points from 15-40 down, pulling off three aces in the match before landing a backhand on the Zheng baseline.
That was the second of four straight game wins to seal the second set, but Rybakina again got loose in the decider.
When her opponent tired, Zheng capitalized with a break for 3-1 and never looked back, earning her first victory in the final on her first match point. The win was also her first over Rybakina in three attempts.
“I am very happy to have won this competition,” said 22-year-old Zheng. “I’ve never beaten her before and she’s one of the best players right now.”
Zheng will face Paolini in the final round of group stage matches on Wednesday, with the winner joining Sabalenka in the semi-finals.
