WTA Finals: Zheng keeps semi-final hopes alive with three-set win over Rybakina
The Chinese player had previously lost her opening group match to world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka
Qinwen Zheng – WTA Finals 2024
Image Credit: Chine Nouvelle/ SIPA
China’s Zheng Qinwen scored her first win at the WTA Finals in Riyadh after a three-set victory over Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina on Monday. In the process, she also kept her hopes alive of securing one of the two semi-final spots from Group Purple.
Zheng got off to a positive start, breaking the Rybakina serve to go up 4-1. However, the Kazakh fought back to level the match at 4-4. With both players holding their serve, the first set went down to a tiebreaker which the Chinese woman won 7-4.
Rybakina lost her serve in the fifth game of the second to trail 3-2 but from there, she rallied to win four games in a row to claim the second set 6-3.
However, the momentum swung back in Zheng’s favour in the deciding set as she broke the former Wimbledon champion twice to complete the 7-6, 3-6, 6-1 win in two hours and 24 minutes. This was her first career win over Rybakina in three matches and her 50th win of the season, the first time that a Chinese woman has won 50 matches in a calendar year in the Open Era.
Zheng’s semi-final hopes will remain alive when she plays Paolini
The Chinese woman, only the second from her country after Li Na to win a match at the season-ending WTA Finals, had lost her opening group match to world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday. For Rybakina, who was playing her first tournament since the US Open, it was a second consecutive loss after going down to Jasmine Paolini in her opener.
Qinwen’s win ensures she will have all to play for when she takes on Paolini on Wednesday.
Group Purple
- Aryna Sabalenka – 1 win 0 loss
- Jasmine Paolini – 1 win 0 loss
- Zheng Qinwen – 1 win 1 loss
- Elena Rybakina – 0 wins 2 losses
The second match of Monday between Sabalenka and Paolini, who both won their first group matches, will have a direct bearing on who leads the group at the end of the day.
If Sabalenka beats Paolini, the Belarusian will advance to the semi-finals as the group winner and that would also eliminate Rybakina. Zheng and Paolini would then play for the second semi-final berth on Wednesday. However, if Paolini wins in straight sets, then she would advance to the semi-finals.
