Sports · Tennis · 4 hrs ago
Errani and Paolini reach Tokyo semi-final, with WTA Finals place at stake
Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini reached the Tokyo tournament semi-final by beating Asia Muhammad and Shuai Zhang 6-3, 6-4.
The Italian pair are competing in the WTA 500 doubles event in Tokyo.
They are chasing the last available place at the WTA Finals, the season-ending competition for top doubles teams.
Errani and Paolini are ninth in the qualifying Race, while their next opponents, Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls, are tenth.
The semi-final is a direct contest for that final spot: the winning pair will also reach the Tokyo final.
The match is scheduled for Saturday, and Errani and Paolini have won two of their three previous meetings with Mihalikova and Nicholls.
Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini beat Asia Muhammad and Shuai Zhang to reach the semi-finals of the WTA 500 tournament in Tokyo.
The Italians won 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 15 minutes.
Their Saturday semi-final against Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls will decide the last available place at the WTA Finals, according to Sky Sport.
The winners will reach the Tokyo final and secure that qualifying spot.
Errani and Paolini were ninth in the Race, while Mihalikova and Nicholls were 10th, Sky Sport reported.
- Who
- Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, and their semi-final opponents Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls.
- What
- Errani and Paolini reached the Tokyo semi-final and will contest the last available WTA Finals place.
- When
- They reached the semi-final on October 30, 2026; the match against Mihalikova and Nicholls was scheduled for Saturday.
- Where
- The WTA 500 tournament in Tokyo.
- Why
- The semi-final is a qualifying decider because the winner will secure the last available place at the WTA Finals.
Errani/Paolini
Mihalikova/Nicholls
Race ranking
Errani/Paolini
Errani and Paolini were ninth in the Race.
Mihalikova/Nicholls
Mihalikova and Nicholls were 10th in the Race.
Recent head-to-head
Errani/Paolini
Errani and Paolini led their overall record 2-1 and had beaten their opponents in Wuhan about two weeks earlier.
Mihalikova/Nicholls
They had lost their most recent reported meeting with Errani and Paolini in Wuhan.
Errani and Paolini beat Anna Danilina and Xinyu Jiang 7-6(7), 6-2 in the first round.
Errani and Paolini defeated Asia Muhammad and Shuai Zhang 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semi-final.
Errani and Paolini were scheduled to face Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls in a match that would decide the final WTA Finals place.
- Tournament
- WTA 500 Tokyo
- Quarter-final score
- Errani/Paolini beat Muhammad/Zhang 6-3, 6-4
- Match duration
- 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Errani/Paolini Race position
- Ninth
- Mihalikova/Nicholls Race position
- Tenth
- Semi-final stakes
- Winner secures the last available WTA Finals place