Sabalenka shows class under pressure

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka overcame an early setback to progress at the Wuhan Open, demonstrating her resilience and keeping her perfect record at the tournament intact. After dropping the first set to unseeded Rebecca Sramkova, the top-ranked Belarusian regrouped, dominated the next two sets, and secured a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory to move into the third round.

“It was not easy to get back into rhythm after that first set, but I’m glad I found my game in the second,” Sabalenka said during her on-court interview.

Sabalenka, who has won every match she has played in Wuhan, extended her unbeaten run at the event to 18-0, having lifted the trophy in 2018, 2019, and 2024. The US Open champion broke Sramkova early in the final set and saved crucial break points before converting her second match point after almost two hours of play.

Sramkova had tested Sabalenka in the opening set, breaking her twice, but the top seed responded strongly, breaking back in the fourth game of the second set and racing to a 4-1 lead. Sabalenka, who took a short break after her consecutive US Open victories and skipped last week’s China Open to recharge, will next face No. 16 seed Liudmila Samsonova, who came from behind to defeat 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Meanwhile, sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula survived a tense three-set battle against compatriot Hailey Baptiste. Twice broken while serving for the match in the final set, Pegula recovered to win 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(6) on her seventh match point and advance to the third round. Pegula, a semifinalist at last week’s China Open, will face ninth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova, who beat Ann Li 7-6(5), 6-2.

No. 3 Coco Gauff, also coming off a semifinal appearance at the China Open last week, breezed through her match against Moyuka Uchijima, winning 6-1, 6-0 in just 51 minutes. Qualifier Katerina Siniaková also advanced, defeating Maya Jansen 6-3, 6-1. Eleventh-seeded Naomi Osaka was scheduled to play later on Wednesday.

With top seeds Sabalenka, Pegula, and Gauff all in strong form, the Wuhan Open continues to deliver high-quality tennis and intense battles, keeping fans excited as the season nears its final stages.