Zheng Qinwen beats Jasmine Paolini, reaches WTA Finals last four

Zheng Qinwen of China beat Jasmine Paolini of Italy 6-1, 6-1 in her third match in the Purple Group at the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, advancing to the semifinals at the tournament.

Zheng became the second Chinese player to reach the women's singles semifinals at the WTA Finals following Li Na in 2013.

Having won all of her three previous matches against Paolini, Zheng began the competition full of confidence and aggression. The Paris Olympic gold medalist broke Paolini three times in the first set and delivered a love game in the sixth for a quick win.

Paolini didn't put up much resistance in the second set either as she allowed two breaks and trailed 5-1. The Italian worked hard to tie the seventh game 40-40, but the world No.7 made an immediate response with two big serves, including an ace that sealed the deal.

"I am really proud that I can make it because I didn't know what would happen when I came to this WTA Finals," Zheng said after the victory. "It's my first time. So I just told myself to enjoy it. Actually, I played in a very difficult group. I want to thank the fans who came to watch me today."

In the other match of the group, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan defeated Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, but the result won't change the fact that Sabalenka will make the semifinals.

"It was a tough match," Rybakina said. "It's nice to finish the year with at least one win against the world number one. She has all the chances to win. Every match I played here was a bit better. It's not easy after such a long break. Today I served really well."