Aryna Sabalenka, the reigning world No. 1, continued her dominant run at the WTA Finals, securing her spot in the semifinals with a commanding victory over Jasmine Paolini in the Purple Group. The Belarusian powerhouse defeated the Italian 6-3, 7-5, improving her record to 2-0 in the group stage. This win, combined with Qinwen Zheng’s earlier upset over Elena Rybakina, guarantees Sabalenka’s position as the group winner.
Sabalenka, who has won an impressive 22 of her last 23 matches, is now one round-robin win away from claiming the year-end No. 1 ranking for the first time. The stakes are high: if reigning champion Iga Swiatek loses to Coco Gauff on Tuesday, Sabalenka will clinch the coveted top spot.
Sabalenka faces Rybakina on Wednesday in the final group match. A victory would not only secure her top spot in the group but also a perfect 3-0 record for the week.
“The whole match was tough. She’s such a great player, putting so much pressure, moving well, serving great,” Sabalenka remarked during her courtside interview. “I’m super happy with this win tonight and the second set was quite tricky. I was just trying to stay aggressive and show her I’m going to fight for this set no matter what. I’m really happy to close this out in straight sets.”
Sabalenka’s consistency has been remarkable, highlighted by her impressive record of 32 sets won out of 33 played this year across the Australian Open, US Open, and now the WTA Finals.
Tim Henman, a former world No. 1 himself, lauded Sabalenka’s unwavering spirit: “It’s much more about adversity when you’re not playing so well. All of a sudden Paolini came back into that second set. She had those set points but Sabalenka had that competitive spirit and mentality of refusing of not giving in.”
Laura Robson, a former British No. 1, echoed the sentiment: “This time last year in Cancun [WTA Finals] she had some wobbles and wasn’t able to respond quite so well. But just in the last three months from Cincinnati onwards you can hardly pick apart her game.”
Meanwhile, in another crucial match, Zheng overcame Rybakina, who was battling insomnia, allergies, and injuries. Rybakina had played just four matches since Wimbledon in mid-July and fatigue seemed to be a factor as Zheng secured her first career win over the 25-year-old in three attempts, winning 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-1.
“I’m really happy to win this match because I’d never beat her before and she’s one of the greatest players right now on tour,” Zheng said. “Even though I had a chance in the second set and didn’t take it, I’m happy I came back in the third set and stayed focused.”
The victory moves Zheng (1-1) into contention for a semifinal berth as she faces Paolini on Wednesday. Rybakina, now 0-2, will face Sabalenka in her final round-robin match.
