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World number one Aryna Sabalenka become the first player to progress into the last four of the WTA Finals with a straight-sets win over Jasmine Paolini.
After Sabalenka had got the better of Zheng Qinwen on Saturday, the Belarusian backed it up with a 6-3 7-5 victory after a 90-minute battle with Paolini in Purple Group.
Sabalenka took control in Riyadh from the off and established a 4-0 lead to eventually take the first set but it was a different story in the second and Paolini failed to close out two set points to suffer a narrow defeat.
“I would say I am really proud of not only myself but my team that we overcome a lot of things and we were able to show such great tennis and become world number one,” Sabalenka said on-court.
“It is team work, it is not only me. The behind-the-scenes work nobody sees, but they do a lot for me and I really appreciate everything they do for me.
“This is motivation for me to keep winning on this court because those guys deserve to be the best team ever.”
After Sabalenka, who only took over from Iga Swiatek at the top of the WTA rankings last month, recovered from being broken midway through the first set to clinch it by a 6-3 score, she built up a healthy advantage at the start of the second.
French Open and Wimbledon runner-up Paolini showed off her trademark fighting skills, though, and got the match back on serve.
Paolini even had set point on Sabalenka’s serve at 5-4, but the three-time grand-slam champion dug deep to hold and win the next two games to seal victory with a service winner.
Sabalenka is guaranteed a place in the semi-finals in Saudi Arabia but will face Elena Rybakina on Wednesday in her final Purple Group tie.
Rybakina, who has endured a difficult season with illness struggles, lost her second match at the WTA Finals to seventh seed Zheng.
Zheng claimed a 7-6 (4) 3-6 6-1 win in a rollercoaster battle at the start of day three of the WTA’s showpiece season finale.
PA
