Aryna Sabalenka overcame a scare late in the second set to oust Jasmine Paolini in straight sets 6-3 7-5 at the WTA Finals and became the first player to seal a semifinal spot in Riyadh.
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After overcoming Zheng Qinwen in her opening match, the Belarusian tennis star also quickly got to work against the Italian, starting the match with back-to-back breaks and a 4-0 lead. While this year's French Open and Wimbledon runner-up managed to get one break back in the fifth game, it didn't help her much because the new world No. 1 stayed composed and didn't allow any additional break points in the rest of the first set.
At the start of the second set, Sabalenka found herself 0-2 down after not realizing a game point in the second game. However, the three-time Grand Slam champion quickly resolved the issue after responding with two consecutive breaks and winning the next four games to go 4-2 up.
At that point, it seemed like the world No. 1 sealed the deal and would go on to routinely complete a straight-set win. But then, Paolini stunningly won the next three games to take a 5-4 lead - and even had two set points in the 10th game - but Sabalenka managed to save them before breaking the world No. 4 in the following game and serving out for the match in the 12th game.
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Sabalenka plays next Elena Rybakina and if she wins, she will enter 2025 as No. 1
On Wednesday, the reigning US Open champion will battle against Rybakina, who fell to a 0-2 record after losing to Zheng Qinwen today. If the Belarusian beats the Kazakh, she will finish the group with a 3-0 record and secure the Year-End No. 1 spot and enter 2025 as the top-ranked player in the game ahead of Iga Swiatek.
"I mean, yeah, that's definitely one of the goals. I always been saying that for me it's about to finish the year as world No. 1. That's definitely one of my goals. I'll do everything I can to finish the year as world No. 1," Sabalenka previously said in her pre-tournament presser at the WTA Finals.
