Sabalenka Battles To Keep Wuhan Record Alive, Pegula Survives Marathon

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka battled hard yesterday to maintain her unbeaten record in Wuhan, coming from behind to defeat Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

The world No. 1 started slowly in her first match since clinching a fourth Grand Slam title at the US Open last month. However, the Belarusian found her power game in the final set to reach the Wuhan Open last 16, where she will face 16th-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova.

Sabalenka is chasing a fourth consecutive crown in Wuhan, where she boasts a perfect 18-0 win-loss record. The first three games went against serve, but it was Sramkova who consolidated for 3-1, claiming the opening set in 35 minutes with 15 winners.

Sabalenka responded to level the match and swept through the decider to win in just under two hours. “She played incredible tennis, especially in the first set. There wasn’t much I could do against her,” Sabalenka remarked. “I knew after that little break it wouldn’t be easy to get back into my rhythm. But I’m really glad that in the second set I found my game, I stepped in, and I think I played really well.”

Third seed Coco Gauff, a semi-finalist in Wuhan last year, booked her place in the last 16 with a smooth 6-1, 6-0 performance against Japanese qualifier Moyuka Uchijima. Gauff was flawless throughout a 51-minute victory, marking her 18th win on Chinese soil since 2023—the most at WTA level by any player in China during that period. Gauff will face Chinese wildcard Zhang Shuai for a place in the quarter-finals.

In contrast, world No. 6 Jessica Pegula survived a “wild ride,” needing seven match points and nearly three hours to overcome fellow American Hailey Baptiste 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (8/6). Pegula served for the win twice, at 5-2 and 5-4 in the third set, but Baptiste fought back, saving five match points and taking four games in a row to lead 6-5.

Pegula steadied herself to force a tiebreak and finally wrapped up the victory on her seventh match point. “It’s been brutal,” said Pegula, who will face Russian ninth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round. “Match points came and went, and I think I just got a little tentative. And that’s all it takes sometimes for someone to come back. I’m really proud of how I held it together because I could easily have collapsed. But I held tough; that was a wild ride.”

Heat again played a factor as 12th-seeded Karolina Muchova joined the likes of Emma Raducanu, Jelena Ostapenko, and Dayana Yastremska on the list of mid-match retirees in Wuhan. With temperatures soaring above 30°C, Muchova struggled with the heat and had her vitals checked on court before retiring while trailing Magdalena Frech 7-6 (7/1), 4-1.