Sabalenka continues Zheng dominance at WTA Finals

Like Sabalenka, Rybakina had a dominant start to the season, reaching five finals in the first four months.

However, her season has been disrupted by illness and injury, with the former Wimbledon champion arriving in Riyadh having not played a match for two months.

Italy’s Paolini, by contrast, has grown in strength throughout the year, winning a WTA 1,000 title in Dubai in February before reaching back-to-back Grand Slam finals at the French Open and Wimbledon.

Her match fitness won out against Kazakh Rybakina, who hit 56 unforced errors and looked fatigued as the match went on.

The two traded breaks in the first set before Paolini claimed an error-strewn tie-break after 64 minutes.

Rybakina was frequently on the back foot in the second set, staving off two break points in the first game before Paolini eventually broke through for a 4-3 lead and eventually served out the match.

“I’m glad that was done in two sets,” Paolini joked afterwards.

Paolini is also competing in the doubles alongside Sara Errani, with whom she won gold with for Italy at the Olympics.

This year’s tournament has record prize money, with the singles champion set to collect about £4m.