Qinwen Zheng beats Jasmine Paolini in WTA final

Although the final WTA rankings have already begun to take shape, there is still tennis to be played. The first match of the group stage of the WTA Finals on Wednesday began with the highly anticipated meeting between Jasmine Paolini and Qinwen Zheng.

Paolini entered the match as a four seed, but seven seed Zheng felt like the favorite. Not only has Zheng won all three of her previous matches, but she has also been playing at a high level lately.

Although Zheng may have been a slight favorite, no one expected to lose. Zheng defeated Paolini in straight sets: 6-1, 6-1. Her strong play helped maintain the pace of the match, which ended in just over an hour.

With today’s victory, Zheng advances to the playoffs. She officially qualified second in the Purple Group behind Sabalenka. Moreover, the 22-year-old continues to make history.

Zheng is the first Chinese tennis player to graduate from the round robin since her idol Li Na. “This is almost 11 years ago. I am proud that I was able to do this,” Zheng said.

She continued, “I didn’t know what was going to happen when I came here because it’s my first time. I just told myself to enjoy it, especially because I’m in a really difficult group. Thank you to all the fans who came to see me tonight. , Thank you for your support.

Zheng entered the WTA finals as world number 7 with a record of 41–16 and two singles titles. She won two of her three matches and ends the season on a strong note.

The group stage continues today with the match between Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. Tomorrow the group stage will conclude with a match between Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula, followed by a battle between Coco Gauff and Barbora Krejcikova.

Zheng’s opponent and timing for the semi-finals have yet to be determined. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated. Submit to SI all the most important news from sports.