Aryna Sabalenka paid tribute to "legend" Rafael Nadal, acknowledging the retiring Spaniard is "an inspiration to all of us".
The 22-time major winner announced on Thursday via a video on his social media platforms that he will retire from competitive tennis following next month's Davis Cup finals in Malaga.
Nadal's decision - generally expected given his injury struggles in recent years - has been met with widespread tributes throughout the tennis and sporting world.
And WTA number two Sabalenka - the reigning Australian and US Open champion - was the latest big name to salute the 14-time French Open winner, who was dubbed "the King of Clay".
"He's an inspiration for all of us, for the next generation, for current players. He's a legend," Sabalenka told WTA.
"As he said, everything has a beginning and an end. We are all going to be there. I'm really happy for what he was able to achieve. He was inspiration for everyone. He's a hard worker. He definitely had so much love for this sport."
Sabalenka is through to her 11th successive WTA quarter-final at the Wuhan Open after coming from behind to beat Yulia Putintseva 1-6 6-4 6-0.
The reigning champion recovered from losing the opening set - plus a break point at 4-3 down in the second set - to claim his 14th straight victory in Wuhan.
"In the first set, I was all over the place," she added. "I'm really glad that I was able to put myself together in the second set and things clicked.
"In that game [the eighth in the second set], I was just trying to cool myself down and just to remind myself to keep trying, keep fighting.
"You have to work for it, you have to run, you have to play the point, build the point, find the right shot, then go for it, not rush things. I was just having that conversation in my head all the time.
"After that game, I felt like something clicked. The return was better. The movement was better. The decisions I was making were much better. I felt like that was really the turning point in the match."
Haaland becomes Norway's record scorer with Slovenia brace
Erling Haaland became Norway's all-time leading scorer with a brace in their 3-0 victory over Slovenia.
The Manchester City striker was captaining his first nation for the first time, and marked the occasion in trademark record-breaking fashion.
Haaland broke the deadlock after just seven minutes of the Nations League clash at the Ullevaal Stadium, where Alexander Sorloth doubled the lead seven minutes after the restart.
Sorloth then turned provider just after the hour mark for Haaland, who broke Jorgen Juve's 87-year record with his 34th international goal in just 36 caps.
The result put Norway firmly in charge of Group B3 with seven points, three ahead of Austria and Slovenia, with Kazakhstan propping up the table on one point.
Italy 2-2 Belgium: Trossard completes comeback to deny 10-man hosts
Italy dropped their first points of this Nations League campaign, as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium in Rome.
The 10-man Azzurri, who had Lorenzo Pellegrini sent off, were pegged back from 2-0 up at Stadio Olimpico, where Maxim De Cuyper and Leandro Trossard cancelled out earlier efforts from Andrea Cambiaso and Mateo Retegui.
Just 59 seconds had elapsed when Italy broke the deadlock as Federico Dimarco played a one-two with Pellegrini, before his low cross was turned in at the far post by Cambiaso.
It was 2-0 in the 24th minute when Koen Casteeles parried Cambiaso's low drive straight to Retegui, who tapped into an open goal.
However, the Azzurri's momentum was halted after 40 minutes when Pellegrini was shown a straight red card following a VAR review after his late challenge on Arthur Theate.
Belgium quickly took advantage to halve the deficit with a neatly worked free-kick as Youri Tielemans and Trossard combined to tee up De Cuyper, who curled past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
And the comeback was completed just after the hour mark when Wout Faes nodded a deep corner into the six-yard box, where Trossard nipped in ahead of Donnarumma to ensure a share of the spoils.
Data Debrief: Italy's quick start counts for nothing
After back-to-back victories over France and Israel, Italy were quick out of the blocks in their quest to make it three wins from three.
Cambiaso's strike saw the Azzurri score in the opening minute of a match for the first time since June 2013, when Emanuele Giaccherini struck early against Haiti.
However, the pendulum certainly swung away from them following the dismissal of Pellegrini, who became the first Italy player to receive a direct red card since Domenico Criscito against Netherlands in June 2018.
'Your legacy will live forever' - Djokovic hails Nadal 'tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit'
Novak Djokovic believes Rafael Nadal's "legacy will live forever" as the 24-time major winner paid tribute to his great rival.
Nadal announced on Thursday via a video on his social media platforms that he will retire from competitive tennis following next month's Davis Cup finals in Malaga.
It brings the curtain down on a glittering career in which he won 22 grand slams, including a record 14 French Open singles triumphs.
His major tally was then a record, but has since been surpassed by Djokovic, against whom he contested what many believe to be tennis' greatest rivalry.
The pair faced off 60 times, including nine times in slam finals, with the Serb boasting a narrowly superior 31-29 record, while he prevailed in their final clash at the Paris Olympics.
And Djokovic has followed suit in paying tribute to the Spaniard, who was dubbed "the King of Clay" for his exploits at Roland-Garros.
"Rafa, one post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport," he wrote on his social media platforms.
"You have inspired millions of children to start playing tennis, and I think that's probably the greatest achievement anyone can wish for.
"Your tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit are going to be taught for decades. Your legacy will live forever. Only you know what you had to endure to become an icon of tennis and sport in general.
"Thank you for pushing me to the very limit so many times in our rivalry, which has impacted me the most as a player.
"Your passion for representing Spain has always been remarkable. I wish you the best possible farewell in Malaga with the Davis Cup team of Spain. I will be there in person to pay respect to your stellar career."
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