In a win-or-go-home situation at Riyadh, Zheng blasted past Jasmine Paolini, 6-1, 6-1, to post her 30th win from 34 matches contested since Wimbledon. The powerful display clinched Zheng second place in the Purple Group behind world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Sabalenka was beaten by Elena Rybakina in a dead rubber, with the World No 1 already through to the semi-finals

Zheng cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Jasmine Paolini to qualify second in the Orange Group behind Aryna Sabalenka, seeking to be the first player since Williams to win the Olympics and the WTA Finals in the same year.

China's top-ranked tennis player Zheng Qinwen triumphed over Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in three sets at the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Monday, securing her first victory in the tournament.

Zheng is the youngest player to reach the semifinals in her first appearance at the WTA Finals since Petra Kvitova in 2011. It’s her seventh semifinal of the year and the first

China's Zheng Qinwen reached the semi-finals of the WTA Finals in Riyadh after claiming an impressive 6-1 6-1 win over Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini on Wednesday. In her WTA Finals debut, the 22-year-old became the youngest player to reach the semi-finals since Petra Kvitova in 2011.

Zheng Qinwen crushed Jasmine Paolini to secure a place in the WTA Finals last four on her tournament debut. The 22-year-old, China's Olympic gold medallist in the summer, showcased her power in an easy 6-1 6-1 win that eliminated Italian Paolini.

While the final WTA Rankings have begun taking shape, there is still plenty of tennis left to be played. The first match of Wednesday's Group Stage matches at the WTA Finals led off with a highly anticipated meeting between Jasmine Paolini and Qinwen Zheng.