'FOCUSED' ZHENG BACK IN THE HUNT

She scores first win over Rybakina in three meetings; faces Paolini in last group match

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RIYADH - Zheng Qinwen improved her chances of advancing to the semi-finals at the WTA Finals with a 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-1 victory over world No. 5 Elena Rybakina in Saudi Arabia on Nov 4.

The seventh-seeded Chinese player rebounded from her opening round-robin Group A defeat by Aryna Sabalenka by claiming her first win from three meetings with Rybakina.

It was Rybakina's second defeat in as many matches this week in Riyadh and she was eliminated after world No. 1 Sabalenka of Belarus beat Italian Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 7-5 in the second Group A match to reach the semi-finals.

The Kazakh has one more round-robin clash to go against Sabalenka on Nov 6, while on the same day, Zheng will play Paolini - the winner will be in the last four.

During her on-court interview, Zheng apologised to the Chinese fans in the stands for "losing control" of her emotions at one point during the match, admitting she was "harsh" in her reaction to them, and thanked them for their support.