What’s at stake for Zheng, Paolini at WTA Finals

Frequent-flier and hotel points are always lovely, but the truly ultimate reward? Consider the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF, which runs from Nov. 2-9 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

There’s more than $15 million available to the world’s best eight singles players and doubles teams, plus scads of rankings points — the prize at the bottom of the Cracker Jack box for a season (more than) well done.

This is becoming routine stuff for Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, both appearing in their fourth year-end championship and looking forward to determining the year-end No.1 for the second straight year. But for first-timers Zheng Qinwen and Jasmine Paolini — both Olympic gold medalists in Paris — it will be the culmination of years of hard work, developing technique, grinding through training — and dreaming of this glittering opportunity.

These two can expect a full-on, all-senses experience, given their elite company and the stakes involved. But because of how far they’ve had to come in breakout seasons, the enormous energy they’ve had to expend, it will be an extreme challenge.

Road to the WTA Finals: Sabalenka | Swiatek | Gauff | Paolini

Take Zheng, who as we speak, is still actually playing. China’s finest defeated Leylah Fernandez in three sets to advance to the Tokyo semifinals.

Zheng began the year at No.15 in the rankings and, after winning the gold medal in singles, has closed her season brilliantly and is up to No.7. Since Wimbledon, Zheng has won 26 of 30 matches.

“I’m just going to try and perform like all my matches I did before,” Zheng said in Tokyo. “The WTA Finals are really close, but first of all, I’m trying to keep the body healthy and then, talking about tennis, let’s see how it goes here.”

Paolini, perhaps the biggest surprise of this Hologic WTA Tour season, was No.30 on the eve of the Australian Open and now finds herself No.6 (and No.4 in the Race). She’ll be the only player in Riyadh to play both singles and doubles. Paolini took the singles title in Doha and reached the finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Paolini, 28, has played a combined 95 matches in singles and doubles.

“We try to manage because the calendar is really tight,” Paolini said before Beijing. “I’m trying to not think about if I’m tired or not — we just have to keep going.”

The WTA Finals tournament director is recently retired Garbiñe Muguruza, who played in the year-end event four times between 2015 and 2021. In her debut in Singapore, she had uncommon success for a rookie, winning her three group matches against Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber and Lucie Safarova — before falling to Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals.

The six qualifiers for 2024 who have WTA Finals experience did not fare nearly as well in their first appearance. Their composite first-time singles record: 3-15.

Sabalenka and Swiatek both went 1-2 in Guadalajara — with Sabalenka’s only win coming against Swiatek. Elena Rybakina was 1-2 a year ago in Cancun, while Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula both went 0-3 in Fort Worth, as did Barbora Krejcikova in Guadalajara.

Zheng, whose 22^nd birthday was earlier this month, has shown tremendous stamina, both physically and mentally. She put in a stout training block after the US Open and reached the semifinals in Beijing (losing to Karolina Muchova) and the finals in Wuhan (Sabalenka) before withdrawing from Ningbo. Playing in Tokyo suggests she’s ready to compete in Riyadh.

“After Wuhan, my physical and mental was really tired,” Zheng said. “But after almost a week off I came back again and I’m feeling more fresh. Also my body, compared to Wuhan, is much better.”

Paolini has been a revelation to tennis fans — and even herself.

“At the beginning the season, of course, [singles in Riyadh] was not a goal,” she said before qualifying. “I didn’t even think about it. But now in the position where I am, of course it’s a goal. I played a really good season. It would be great to be part of the WTA Finals for the first time.”

And while singles qualification gradually became a possibility, Paolini had a doubles premonition back in January playing with Errani at the Australian Open.

“We can actually qualify,” Paolini thought to herself during a match. She and fellow Italian Sara Errani won in Linz, Rome and Beijing — not to mention the Olympics.

“Doubles … amazing, exciting,” Paolini said. “For me is first time. We put so much effort, it’s nice to have this reward.”

Errani has some experience with the singles/doubles combination at the WTA Finals. She qualified in both disciplines in 2012 and a year later became the first woman to do it two years in a row. Errani has told Paolini it will be a lot to handle.

“After singles, playing doubles was tough,” Errani said. “But of course, it’s an amazing goal to reach after an amazing year.”