Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka fought hard on Wednesday to keep her perfect record in Wuhan alive. She came from behind to defeat Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
 |
| Image Source: NDTVSports |
The world number one struggled early in her first match since winning her fourth Grand Slam title at the US Open last month. Sramkova quickly led 3-1 and took the opening set in just 35 minutes.
Sabalenka found her rhythm in the second set and dominated the decider to seal victory in under two hours. She will now face 16th-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova in the last 16. Sabalenka is chasing a fourth straight Wuhan title, where she remains unbeaten with an 18-0 record.
“She played incredible tennis, especially in the first set. There wasn’t much I could do,” Sabalenka said. “After the break following New York, it wasn’t easy to get back into rhythm. But I’m glad I found my game in the second set and played really well.”
Other big names had mixed results. Naomi Osaka, a four-time major champion, fell 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 to Beijing runner-up Linda Noskova. Osaka struggled to convert her break points despite strong serving.
Third seed Coco Gauff breezed into the last 16 with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Japanese qualifier Moyuka Uchijima. Gauff’s 51-minute victory marked her 18th win in China since 2023, the most at WTA level during this period. She will face Chinese wildcard Zhang Shuai next.
World number six Jessica Pegula survived a tough battle against fellow American Hailey Baptiste. Pegula needed seven match points and almost three hours to win 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (8/6). She served for the match twice in the third set, but Baptiste staged a comeback before Pegula finally closed it in a tiebreak.
“It’s been brutal,” Pegula said. “She started playing well, and I just got a little tentative. I’m proud I held it together because I could have easily collapsed. It was a wild ride.”
The Wuhan Open conditions continued to challenge players. Twelfth-seeded Karolina Muchova retired mid-match due to heat, joining Emma Raducanu, Jelena Ostapenko, and Dayana Yastremska on the list of players who could not finish their matches in scorching temperatures above 30C.