WTA Finals: Zheng Qinwen stuns Elena Rybakina to keep hopes alive of next round qualification

China’s Zheng Qinwen secured an impressive win over Elena Rybakina in the WTA Finals. The mega-event, which is the last in the women’s tennis calendar, is being played for the first time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where top eight players are participating to secure the ultimate prize.

On Monday, China’s Qinwen produced a powerful display against Kazakhstan’s Rybakina. It was the third meeting between the two players. In the previous two meetings, Rybakina had an edge, emerging victorious on each occasion. However, Qinwen had some other ideas, and she went on to secure an important win.

The 22-year-old started brightly as she went on to win the first set on tiebreak with a score of 7-6. Qinwen managed to do that despite committing more unforced errors (22 to 19) and less winners (seven to eight). In the second set, Rybakina made an impressive comeback as she won it with a score of 6-3. The reigning world number five produced 10 aces in the set, three more than her opponent. She won 67 percent service points as well.

However, in the third set, Qinwen made another impressive comeback and went 4-1 ahead. She eventually went on to win the set and the match with the score of 7-6, 3-6, 6-1. With that defeat, Rybakina’s prospect of qualifying for the next round remains very unlikely as she came into the match after suffering a defeat in her tournament opener against Italy’s Jasmine Paoli. The two-time Grand Slam runner-up won that contest in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-4. On the other hand, Qinwen now has a clear chance of cementing her spot in the playoffs. She also came into the match after losing her tournament opener against the reigning world number one Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4.