Zheng Qinwen crushed Jasmine Paolini to succeed in the WTA Finals final 4 as an already-qualified Aryna Sabalenka misplaced to an impressed Elena Rybakina.
China’s Olympic gold medallist Zheng showcased her energy in a straightforward 6-1 6-1 win that eradicated Italian Paolini.
It left the 22-year-old with a 2-1 group-stage document, together with her sole loss coming in opposition to Sabalenka on the primary day of the match.
Zheng is the second Chinese language girl to succeed in the semi-finals of the match following the legendary Li Na in 2013.
“I did not know what would occur once I got here right here,” she mentioned. “I simply informed myself to get pleasure from it, particularly as a result of I’m in a extremely troublesome group.”
Sabalenka, who clinched the year-end world primary rating earlier within the week, fell 6-4 3-6 6-1 to Rybakina in a big-hitting encounter.
The Belarusian, 26, nonetheless completed the round-robin stage because the group winner, together with her opponent already eradicated after losses to Zheng and Paolini.
“It is good to complete the yr with a minimum of one win in opposition to the world primary. I’m simply glad,” mentioned 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina.
