The race to the WTA Finals is getting tighter every week. While the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, and Jessica Pegula have already qualified, two places are still up for grabs. The year-end tournament in Riyadh will see the top 8 female tennis players fighting it out to clinch the crown. Going by a massive update this week, it seems like Italy’s Jasmine Paolini may have a shot at her ticket to the final lineup. On the other hand, a Russian teenage sensation’s dream is now on the brink of getting shattered.

In case anyone missed keeping track, this year’s two-time WTA 1000 champion Mirra Andreeva lost her opening battle at the Ningbo Open on Wednesday. China’s Zhu Lin bested her in a thrilling three-set clash. Zhu ousted her with a scoreline of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. With this loss, the World No.6’s chances of qualifying for her maiden WTA Finals campaign have taken a back seat.

On the other hand, Italian star Jasmine Paolini has boosted her chances to make a second appearance in Riyadh. In her R16 match on Thursday, the World No.8 bested Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets. She made her way into the quarterfinal stage of the WTA 500 event in Ningbo with a scoreline of 6-2, 7-5. As a result, an unexpected threat is now looming over Andreeva.

For the uninitiated, Andreeva and Paolini are neck-to-neck in the Live Race to the WTA Finals. In the official live rankings, Andreeva currently has 4,319 ranking points, sitting at the 7th position. Making a deep run in Ningbo would have helped her secure more points to strengthen her position.

But now, Paolini is on the brink of overtaking Andreeva, as she has reached 4,131 points. The gap has been reduced to just 188 points. In case the Italian ends up reaching the semis or the summit clash, she will eventually surpass Andreeva while dethroning her from the 7th spot.

Jasmine Paolini gets honest about her WTA Finals prospects

With her stellar victory against Kudermetova, Jasmine Paolini must be feeling confident now regarding the WTA Finals. However, currently her main goal is to deliver a solid campaign at the Ningbo Open.

On her prospects of qualifying, she simply replied, “It’s something on my mind, of course, but I try to stay focused on tennis and what I have to do,” reported the WTA’s website on October 16. She then underlined that her sole priority is her upcoming match. “I’m trying to focus on the court, on the next one,”

Speaking more of her domination against Kudermetova, Paolini didn’t give her much chance to make a comeback. In a battle lasting an hour and 29 minutes, she gained an edge due to her second serves. Paolini was able to win 64 percent of her second serve points. On the contrary, Kudermetova’s success rate was a mere 24 percent in the same department.

On top of that, Paolini also saved 60 percent of her break points. In comparison, the Russian WTA pro was able to save only 16 percent of break points. “I managed to stay there every point, stay focused and try to find solutions,” said the Italian.

Moving forward, Paolini will go against Belinda Bencic on Friday in the QF stage. Interestingly, Bencic leads the Italian in the H2H tally with a 2-1 lead. In their last meeting, however, Paolini had the last laugh. Earlier this year during the United Cup, she outperformed the Swiss pro with a dominating scoreline of 6-1, 6-1. It will be intriguing to see who comes out on top this time.