WUHAN, China — Iga Swiatek faced an unexpected exit from the Wuhan Open on Friday, falling to Jasmine Paolini in a straight-sets upset that shocked fans. This was a player the Wimbledon champion had never lost to before.
Paolini dominated the quarterfinal match, securing a swift 6-1, 6-2 victory over the world’s second-ranked player in just 65 minutes.
This win marked Paolini’s first triumph over Swiatek in their seven encounters, having previously won only a single set against her. With this victory, she earned a spot in the semifinals, where she’ll battle the third-ranked Coco Gauff.
“Finally, I’ve secured a win!” exclaimed the seventh-seeded Paolini. “I’m truly thrilled with how I played. It feels incredible.”
Paolini holds a significantly better track record against Gauff, having triumphed over the American in their last three meetings.
Gauff smoothly advanced to her second consecutive semifinal, defeating Laura Siegemund with a decisive score of 6-3, 6-0. She previously lost to eventual champion Amanda Anisimova in the semis at the China Open last week.
In the other semifinal, the top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka is set to clash with Jessica Pegula.
Sabalenka continued her impressive run at the Wuhan Open, extending her winning streak to 20 matches with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over eighth-seeded Elena Rybakina.
The U.S. Open champion has previously claimed the WTA 1000 tournament title in 2018, 2019, and again last year since returning to this vibrant city.
In a match that lasted 1 hour and 25 minutes, Sabalenka broke Rybakina’s serve three times, delighting the crowd with waves and kisses as she advanced to her 11th semifinal of the season.
Earlier in the day, Pegula was pushed to a third set for the seventh consecutive match. The sixth seed initially dropped the first set against Katerina Siniakova but rallied back to win 2-6, 6-0, 6-3.
Pegula is coming off recent victories over No. 9 Ekaterina Alexandrova and fellow American Hailey Baptiste, where she had to fight through seven match points to secure her win.
