US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka continues her winning streak at the Wuhan Open, extending it to 19 matches after defeating Liudmila Samsonova with a score of 6-3, 6-2. This victory secures her a place in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 tournament. Sabalenka’s impressive streak includes titles in Wuhan in 2018, 2019, and 2024. Her dominance on the court is undeniable, solidifying her position in world tennis.
Iga Swiatek Also Advances
Iga Swiatek, ranked second, also secured her place in the next round, defeating Belinda Bencic with a score of 7-6 (2), 6-4. Swiatek improves her record against Bencic to 5-1, including a straight-sets victory in the Wimbledon semifinals in July. In the quarterfinals, Sabalenka will face Elena Rybakina, the eighth seed, who secured the victory over Linda Noskova with a score of 6-3, 6-4. Rybakina is looking to secure her place in the WTA Finals event in Saudi Arabia. Swiatek will face Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals, who advanced after the retirement of Clara Tauson, who was trailing 3-6, 6-1, 3-1.Jessica Pegula Secures Her Spot in Quarterfinals
Jessica Pegula, after recovering from an initial service break in the third set, defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova with a score of 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, securing her place in the quarterfinals. Pegula, the sixth seed and who lost in the semifinals of the China Open last week, tied the decisive set at 2-2 and won four of the last five games to secure the victory. The victory over ninth-ranked Alexandrova came after Pegula needed seven match points to defeat Hailey Baptiste in the second round. This was Pegula’s sixth consecutive match that went to three sets, and the fifth time she emerged victorious.In the last match of the day, Coco Gauff, ranked third, defeated Zhang Shuai with a score of 6-3, 6-2. Gauff was coming off a loss in the semifinals of 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 been playing against a lot of really good players. The conditions were different today with the roof closed, and I think it took us a while to adapt.
Jessica Pegula