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China's Zheng Qinwen marched into the semi-finals of the WTA Finals in Riyadh after claiming an impressive 6-1 6-1 win over Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini on Wednesday.

In the third round of the Purple Group singles, seventh seed Zheng faced off against fourth seed Paolini. Zheng had won all three of their previous encounters.

Zheng was in excellent form throughout the match, delivering 12 aces and breaking Paolini's serve five times. She won the lop-sided match by 6-1, 6-1, marking her fourth consecutive victory over the Italian.

With this win, Zheng advanced to the semifinals, finishing second in the Purple Group with a 2-1 record. Top-seeded Sabalenka had already clinched the top place in the group and advanced to the semifinals. Zheng will next face the group winner from the singles' Orange Group.

Zheng won 77% of her first-serve points as she became the second Chinese woman to reach the last four of the WTA Finals after Li Na.

Zheng Qinwen has achieved the remarkable feat of reaching the semifinals in her career's first participation in the WTA Finals. She has also made history as the first Chinese female tennis player to advance from the group stage in her WTA Finals debut.

"I am really proud that I can make it because I didn't know what would happen when I came to this WTA Finals. It's my first time. So I just told myself to enjoy it. Actually, I played in a very difficult group. I want to thank the fans who came to watch me today." said Zheng.