“I knew the match would be very tough,” Elena Rybakina said after dismantling Jasmine Paolini to storm into her second final of the year at the China Open. Her resurgence this season, capped by the Ningbo Open title, sealed her ticket to the WTA Finals, but fate, it seems, had its own plans for Paolini. Despite falling short in the semifinals, the Italian’s determination didn’t go unrewarded, as she still clinched a spot at the year-end WTA Finals , remarkably escaping the WTA’s punishment that had severely impacted stars like Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek .

Polish tennis journalist Dominik Senkowski has shed light on a curious twist that shaped the WTA Finals lineup, revealing how Jasmine Paolini edged out Mirra Andreeva for a coveted spot, thanks to a rarely invoked rul

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