WUHAN, China — U.S. Open titleholder Aryna Sabalenka extended her remarkable winning streak at the Wuhan Open to 19 matches, triumphing over Liudmila Samsonova with a commanding score of 6-3, 6-2 on Thursday, securing her spot in the quarterfinals of this prestigious WTA 1000 tournament.
The top-seeded Sabalenka’s impressive streak includes championship victories in Wuhan from 2018, 2019, and 2024.
No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek also progressed, edging out former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic with a close 7-6 (2), 6-4 win.
Swiatek improved her overall record against Bencic to 5-1, highlighted by a straight-set victory during their Wimbledon semifinal clash in July.
Next, Sabalenka is set to face eighth seed Elena Rybakina, who dispatched Linda Noskova with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-4, as she aims for a spot at the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia.
Swiatek will take on Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals, who advanced after Clara Tauson retired while trailing 3-6, 6-1, 3-1.
In earlier action, Jessica Pegula fought back from an early setback to secure a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova, advancing to the last eight. The sixth-seeded Pegula, who faced a tough semifinal exit at the China Open last week, leveled the deciding set at 2-2 before seizing four of the final five games to clinch the match.
Pegula’s win came after she required seven match points to defeat fellow American Hailey Baptiste in the second round, marking her sixth consecutive match that went the distance, with her emerging victorious five times.
“I honestly can’t recall the last time I played just two sets,” Pegula remarked. “I’ve been pushing myself fiercely and facing many excellent competitors. Adjusting to the different conditions today with the roof closed took us some time.”
In the evening match, ranked No. 3 Coco Gauff, fresh off a semifinal loss to future champion Amanda Anisimova at the China Open, was scheduled to take on Zhang Shuai.
