Chinese tennis ace Zheng Qinwen advances to semi final stage of WTA Finals

Chinese tennis sensation Zheng Qinwen served up another stellar performance at the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh on Wednesday to move into the semi-final stage of the season-ending showpiece.

Zheng, who stunned the tennis world by claiming an outstanding Olympic singles gold medal in Paris in the summer, booked her spot in the semis with an emphatic win over Italy's Jasmine Paolini in her last round-robin match.

Paolini, who has herself enjoyed a strong season after reaching the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon, was comprehensively outplayed by Zheng, who powered her way to an impressive 6-1, 6-1 victory to move into the final four.

The 22-year-old Zheng has now extended her winning record against Paolini to four matches over their previous encounters, and will now be eying up further glory to cap off a break-out year which saw her reach her first Grand Slam final in Australia and claim a memorable Olympic gold.

Zheng's victory also makes her the first Chinese female tennis player to advance from the group stage in her WTA Finals debut.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim arrived in Beijing on Wednesday as he continued his four-day visit to China.

At the invitation of the Chinese side, Anwar is paying a working visit to China from Monday to Thursday.

According to Malaysia's ambassador to China, Anwar is expected to pay a courtesy call to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will host a state dinner for him at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. He will also meet with business leaders in the Chinese capital, and deliver a speech at Peking University.

Anwar arrived in Shanghai on Monday, his first stop in China, where he attended the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE). Malaysia was designated as the "Country of Honor" at this year's event. Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with Anwar in Shanghai on Tuesday.