Aryna Sabalenka, the current WTA world No. 1, has once again proven her superiority on the tennis court by defeating Qinwen Zheng in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami. This victory marks her sixth consecutive win over the Chinese player, with Sabalenka leading their head-to-head record 6-0.
The Belarusian tennis star has been in top form this season, with a comfortable lead over Iga Świątek in the WTA rankings. Sabalenka has accumulated over 2000 points more than her Polish counterpart, and she’s well aware of her hard work paying off. In a recent interview, she expressed her satisfaction with her current position, stating, „I think I’m where I’m supposed to be, and I’m super happy to see myself in this position. I’ve worked really hard to get here, and it’s nice to be in this position.”
Sabalenka’s journey in Miami has been relatively smooth, with her first match against Viktorija Tomova resulting in a 6:3, 6:0 win. She then benefited from Elena-Gabriela Ruse’s retirement in the second round, followed by a 6:4, 6:4 victory over American Danielle Collins. Her win over Zheng has secured her spot in the semifinals, where she will face Jasmine Paolini of Italy.
Paolini, who defeated Magda Linette 6:3, 6:2 to reach the semifinals, has a relatively even head-to-head record against Sabalenka, with the Belarusian leading 3-2. The two players will face off in the semifinals, with Sabalenka looking to continue her dominance and secure a spot in the final.
Interesting Statistics:
* Sabalenka has become the fourth player in tennis history to reach the semifinals of Australian Open, Indian Wells, and Miami in the same year, joining an elite group consisting of Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, and Serena Williams.
* According to OptaAce, Sabalenka has won 20 out of her last 24 matches, with her only losses coming against Madison Keys in the Australian Open final, Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round of Doha, Clara Tauson in the third round of Dubai, and Mirra Andriejeva in the final of Indian Wells.
With her current form and momentum, Sabalenka is a strong favorite to win the tournament in Miami. Will she continue her unbeaten streak against Paolini and secure her spot in the final? Only time will tell.
