Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - November 01, 2024 China's tennis ace Zheng Qinwen on Friday expressed her confidence in delivering the best performance at the WTA Finals debut against World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, saying that she has the strength to beat anyone. Zheng, 23, will make her tournament debut in Riyadh of Saudi Arabia and face off her long time rival Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in Purple Group of WTA Finals not earlier than 23:00 Saturday Beijing Time. The World No.7 said that she feels great and looks forward to the forthcoming matches against the world's top women tennis players. Zheng acknowledged Sabalenka as a formidable opponent but remained confident in her own abilities. Earlier on Oct 27, Zheng defeated Sofia Kenin of the United States 7-6 (5), 6-3 to clinch the title at the WTA 500 Pan Pacific Open. She has been adapting to the altitude changes as she transits to Riyadh, the Saudi capital with an altitude about 600 meters higher than Tokyo. She also took a moment to thank her fans. From Nov 2 to Nov 9, Zheng will join Barbora Krejcikova, Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Jasmine Paolini and Jessica Pegula at the star-studded season-ending tournament of WTA Finals. The top-two finishers of each group will advance to the semifinals on November 8 and the two winners will compete for the title on November 9. Zheng is the first Chinese singles player to qualify for the WTA Finals since Li Na in 2013, when the latter finished runner-up after narrowly losing to Serena Williams. Shotlist: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Nov 1, 2024: FILE: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - December 2022 1. National flag of Saudi Arabia; FILE: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - December 2022 2. Various of city view; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Nov 1, 2024 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zheng Qinwen, Chinese tennis player (starting with shot 2): "At the moment I feel like I'm in a relaxed frame of mind going into this finals. And for myself, I hope I can play my own tennis game, because I always believe that as long as I play my own game, I have the strength to beat anyone. But in finals, you will have to face up to very strong opponents at the very beginning, which means that you don't get so much buffer time like in tours. You have to stay in a high state of play, then you fight from the first score to the last. Because the players here all master at key points, sometimes the chances just slip away if you are not careful. I think I've got to be super focused to stand out from the finals."; FILE: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - December 2022 4. City view, traffic; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Nov 1, 2024 5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zheng Qinwen, Chinese tennis player: "I know Sabalenka is definitely a very tough opponent, but I think I have what it takes to beat her. The question is only when I can really beat her on the tennis court. Like I said earlier, it's crucial to get hold of the key points when playing against her."; FILE: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - December 2022 6. City view, traffic; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Nov 1, 2024 7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zheng Qinwen, Chinese tennis player: "Thanks to the fans who follow me, I will play the next match in Riyadh, and you'll see me on TV, or see me on court if you want to watch my match on-site. I will give my best effort to deliver the best performance in Riyadh."; FILE: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - December 2022 8. Aerial shots of cityscape. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]