Cincinnati Masters
Sabalenka sails into Saudi semis
Aryna Sabalenka made a no-stress entrance into the semi-finals of the WTA Finals on Monday, booking her knockout place with a match to spare thanks to a 6-3, 7-5 defeat of Jasmine Paolini,
The result in Riyadh puts Sabalenka to within a win of nailing down the year-end world No. 1 title; victory in her final group match will do the job.
Sabarenka has been on a roll, winning three of her last four tournaments in Cincinnati, the US Open and Wuhan.
The on-form 26-year-old has claimed victories in 22 of her last 23 matches. her final group match will be against winless Elena Rybakina, the 2023 Wimbledon winner.
Roland Garros and Wimbledon finalist Paolini of Italy, the world No. 4, was unable to get the better of Sabalenka in their 91-minute meeting
Sabalenka sprang into action in the opening set with a 4-0 lead and claiming the early lead after 36 minutes.
She was unable to maintain a 4-2 lead in the second set but escaped after her opponent knotted the scoreline at four apiece. Sabalenka broke again in the 11th game and clinched victory as she held for 7-5.