Aryna Sabalenka wasted no time at all in securing her spot in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
Sabalenka is number one at the WTA Finals, having finally overtaken Iga Swiatek ahead of the year-end tournament.
And she began her event with a straight sets win over Qinwen Zheng, before doing the same against Jasmine Paolini.
The two losers will now meet for the second semi-final spot from this group, with Sabalenka taking on Elena Rybakina in a dead-rubber.
The former is already safely into the next round in Saudi Arabia, with the latter already out of contention after two losses.
Aryna Sabalenka equals another Serena Williams record
Sabalenka is in consecutive WTA Finals as number one, following in the footsteps of legendary figure Serena Williams, who achieved the feat from 2013-14.
And the former has now emulated the latter once more, with Sabalenka the first player to reach back-to-back semi-finals as world number one since Williams a decade ago, as per OptaAce.
US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka lays down marker at WTA Finals
Paolini was in superb form ahead of her meeting with Sabalenka, with the Italian winning on her WTA Finals debut against Rybakina.
Sitting at a career-high ranking of fourth, Paolini headed to Riyadh with a 2-2 head-to-head record with Sabalenka.
But the Belarusian won their latest meeting in over a year 6-3, 7-5 to pile the pressure on the Italian in Saudi Arabia.
READ MORE: WTA Finals 2024: How to watch, prize money, dates, prediction and everything you need to know
She must now overcome Zheng to progress, although Paolini also has a chance of success in the WTA Finals doubles.
Sabalenka meanwhile continues to go from strength to strength, with the three-time Grand Slam champion laying down an early marker at this year’s WTA Finals.
She has won two of her major titles this year, lifting the trophies at the Australian Open and US Open.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
