Aryna Sabalenka Continues Unstoppable in Wuhan: Advances to Quarterfinals
Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, current US Open champion, continues to demonstrate her dominance at the Wuhan Open. Her winning streak in this tournament extends to 19 matches after defeating Liudmila Samsonova with a score of 6-3, 6-2, securing her place in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 tournament. Sabalenka, who currently holds the top spot in the world rankings, has managed to be crowned champion in Wuhan in the years 2018, 2019, and 2024, solidifying her impressive track record in this event. Iga Swiatek, world number two, also advanced to the next phase, defeating Belinda Bencic with a score of 7-6 (2), 6-4. Swiatek maintains a favorable record of 5-1 against Bencic, including a straight-sets victory in the Wimbledon semifinals in July. In the quarterfinals, Sabalenka will face Elena Rybakina, the eighth seed, who achieved a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Linda Noskova. Rybakina is looking to secure a place in the WTA Finals event to be held in Saudi Arabia. Swiatek’s opponent in the quarterfinals will be Jasmine Paolini, who advanced after Clara Tauson retired when the score was 3-6, 6-1, 3-1 in favor of Paolini. In other notable results, Jessica Pegula overcame a difficult start in the third set to defeat Ekaterina Alexandrova with a score of 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, securing her place in the quarterfinals. Pegula, the sixth seed, is coming off a loss in the semifinals of the China Open last week. The victory over Alexandrova came a day after Pegula needed seven match points to overcome Hailey Baptiste in the second round.This was Pegula’s sixth consecutive match decided in three sets, and the fifth time she emerged victorious.
In the last match of the day, Coco Gauff, world number 3, defeated Zhang Shuai with a score of 6-3, 6-2, after her defeat in the semifinals against Amanda Anisimova at the China Open last week.I don’t remember the last time I played two sets. But I’ve been competing very hard and I’ve played against many good players. The conditions today were different with the roof closed, and I think it took us a while to adapt.
Jessica Pegula
