WTA Finals: Sabalenka storms into semis

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka secured a semifinal berth at the WTA Finals by beating Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini 6-3 7-5 to stay unbeaten in the purple round-robin group.

The 26-year-old is on the brink of clinching the year-end No. 1 ranking. A win over Elena Rybakina in the final group match on Wednesday or a loss from her rival, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, would seal the year-end top spot for the Belarusian.

Sabalenka’s win combined with Chinese Zheng Qinwen’s earlier 7-6(4) 3-6 6-1 victory over Rybakina ensured the top seed will finish first in her group regardless of her final result on Wednesday, making her the first player to reach the final-four.

Australian Open and US Open champion Sabalenka also won her opening match against seventh seed Zheng. The Chinese player and Paolini, with 1-1 records, both remain in contention for the semis and meet on Wednesday.

Swiatek is the only player who can overtake Sabalenka. The 23-year-old, who plays Coco Gauff on Tuesday, needs to retain her title undefeated and hope Sabalenka loses her remaining matches in order to claim the year-end No. 1 spot.