Sabalenka Extends Winning Streak at Wuhan Open

Aryna Sabalenka, the US Open champion from Belarus, prolonged her victorious journey at the Wuhan Open. She increased her winning record to 19 matches after triumphing over Liudmila Samsonova with scores of 6-3, 6-2. This victory propels her into the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000-level tournament, held at Centre Court on Thursday.

The top-seeded Sabalenka has previously secured three titles in Wuhan, specifically in 2018, 2019, and 2024.

The world’s number one player needed 1 hour and 15 minutes to defeat Samsonova, who is seeded 16th. Sabalenka has now stretched her ongoing winning streak to a total of eight matches.

Following two losses in her initial three encounters with Samsonova during 2022 and 2023, she has now clinched three consecutive victories, all achieved in straight sets, within the last 14 months.

The quarterfinal will see Sabalenka face either Linda Noskova of Czechia or Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, whose match will determine Sabalenka’s next opponent.

Rybakina, who last competed in Wuhan when she reached the quarterfinals in 2019, has once again advanced to this stage, marking her third victory in three meetings against Noskova.

Earlier in the tournament, Sabalenka displayed resilience in a three-set victory, overcoming Slovakian Rebecca Sramkova, ranked 68th globally, with scores of 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the round of 32.

In another event, Jessica Pegula, seeded sixth, prevailed over fellow American Hailey Baptiste with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (6), capitalizing on her seventh match point to secure her place in the third round of the Wuhan Open on Wednesday.

Coco Gauff, also an American player, was scheduled to compete against Zhang Shuai in the evening matches. Simultaneously, Iga Swiatek was slated to face Belinda Bencic. Gauff had previously been defeated by Amanda Anisimova, who eventually won the China Open semifinals the previous week.