Zheng Qinwen ousted by Aryna Sabalenka in Miami Open quarterfinals

Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus defeated No. 9 seed Zheng Qinwen of China 6-2, 7-5 in the women's singles quarterfinals at the Miami Open in Miami, Florida, on Sunday, for her first appearance in the last four at the tournament.

Sabalenka will face Italian sixth seed Jasmine Paolini in the semifinals.

Zheng had a good start as she came back from 40-15 to hold in her first service game. The 22-year-old Chinese had the chance to break for a 2-0 lead with a love game, but she blew multiple break points and watched Sabalenka turn the tide and tie the set 1-1.

The three-time Grand Slam champion seemed to have found her rhythm after that, breaking Zheng four times and clinching the set 6-2 to lead 1-0 in the match.

Zheng fought with better aggression in the second set, scoring three breaks in the first four games, but Sabalenka always replied with a break of her own and the set was tied 5-5. The Belarusian then left no chance for Zheng to rally, claiming two straight games to win the match.

So far, Zheng has lost to Sabalenka in all of their six meetings. She has also been stopped in all six of her quarterfinals at WTA 1000 tournaments overseas.