China's Zheng Qinwen reached the semifinals 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 semifinals 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.

As the WTA Tour Finals round-robin stages progress, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have qualified for the semifinals, where they are joined by Zheng Qinwen. Sabalenka was drawn with Jasmine Paolini, Elena Rybakina and Zheng Qinwen in the group stage,

(Reuters) -World number one Aryna Sabalenka secured a semi-final berth at the WTA Finals by beating Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini 6-3 7-5 on Monday to stay unbeaten in the purple round-robin group.

Aryna Sabalenka reached the semifinals of the WTA Finals with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Jasmine Paolini on Monday for a second straight victory in the group stage.

Aryna Sabalenka withstands Jasmine Paolini fight-back to seal WTA Finals progress - The World No 1 is through to the last four after a a 6-3 7-5 victory

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus defeated No. 4 seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy 6-3, 7-5 on Monday to improve to 2-0 at the WTA Finals Riyadh and guarantee herself a spot in the semifinals in Saudi Arabia.