Zheng Qinwen beats Jasmine Paolini to move into WTA Finals semis

NEW DELHI: China's Zheng Qinwen advanced to the WTA Finals semi-finals in Riyadh with a commanding 6-1, 6-1 victory against Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini on Wednesday.The 22-year-old achieved a milestone in her WTA Finals debut, becoming the youngest semi-finalist since Petra Kvitova's appearance in 2011.The seventh-seeded player demonstrated exceptional skill, delivering 12 aces and securing 30 victories from 34 matches since Wimbledon."It's one of the best performances I had during this year," she stated on court. "Really good percentage of first serves. I enjoyed a lot tonight to play here."
With a successful first-serve point rate of 77%, Zheng joined Li Na as the second Chinese competitor to reach the WTA Finals semi-finals."(This was) almost 11 years ago. I'm proud I could make it," Zheng reflected. "I didn't know what would happen when I came here because it's my first time. I just told myself to enjoy. Especially because I'm in a really difficult group. Thanks to all the fans who came to watch me tonight. Thanks for all your support."The Paris Olympics victor secured second position in the purple round-robin group, following top seed Aryna Sabalenka, who confirmed her semi-final position after defeating Paolini 6-3, 7-5 on Monday, maintaining an undefeated record.The world's top-ranked player is scheduled to face fifth seed Elena Rybakina in her concluding group match on Wednesday.