Sabalenka Unstoppable in Wuhan: 19 Straight Wins and Heading to Quarterfinals

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 won in Wuhan in 2018, 2019, and 2024, solidifying her dominance in this prestigious event. Iga Swiatek, ranked number 2, also advanced to the next phase after defeating former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic with a score of 7-6 (2), 6-4. Swiatek maintains a favorable 5-1 record over Bencic in their history, including a straight-sets victory in the Wimbledon semifinals in July. In the quarterfinals, Sabalenka will face Elena Rybakina, who, seeded eighth, achieved a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Linda Noskova. Rybakina seeks to secure her participation in the WTA Finals event to be held in Saudi Arabia. Swiatek’s opponent in the quarterfinals will be Jasmine Paolini, who advanced after the retirement of Clara Tauson, who was at a disadvantage with a score of 3-6, 6-1, 3-1. Jessica Pegula, for her part, overcame an initial break 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, seeded sixth, tied the decisive set at 2-2 and then won four of the last five games to secure the victory. This victory over Alexandrova, ranked number 9, comes a day after Pegula needed seven match points to beat her fellow American Hailey Baptiste in the second round. For Pegula, this was her sixth consecutive match that went to three sets, and the fifth time she emerged victorious.

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. Today the conditions were different with the roof closed, and I think it took us a while to adapt.

Jessica Pegula

In the last match, Coco Gauff, ranked number 3, after her semi-final defeat against Amanda Anisimova at the China Open last week, defeated Zhang Shuai with a score of 6-3, 6-2.