Daijiworld Media Network - Wuhan
Wuhan, Oct 10: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominant run at the Wuhan Open, defeating eighth seed Elena Rybakina 6-3, 6-3 on Friday to storm into the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament.
With this victory, the reigning U.S. Open champion extended her unbeaten streak in Wuhan to 20 matches. Sabalenka, who has previously won the title in 2018, 2019, and 2024, broke Rybakina’s serve three times in the 1-hour-25-minute clash to secure her 11th semifinal appearance of the season.
“We have a really huge history against each other,” Sabalenka said after the match. “It’s always a great battle. She always pushes me to the limit to get the win.”
The Belarusian star will next face sixth seed Jessica Pegula, who earlier fought back from a set down to beat Katerina Siniakova 2-6, 6-0, 6-3. Pegula, who has now gone to a deciding set in seven consecutive matches, is coming off impressive victories over No. 9 Ekaterina Alexandrova and fellow American Hailey Baptiste.
Sabalenka, known for her power-packed baseline game, remains the player to beat as she eyes her fourth Wuhan title and a strong finish to her season.