Wuhan Open: Aryna Sabalenka extends tournament winning streak to 20 matches
According to statistician Opta,, external Sabalenka became the fourth female player to win the top 20 main draw matches at a single WTA level since 1990, joining Monica Seles (33-0) at the Australian Open, Steffi Graf (25-0) in Leipzig and Caroline Wozniacki (20-0) in New Haven.
Sabalenka, who defended her US Open title in September, controlled the match against Rybakina, closed the first set with a draw, and broke Kazakhstan’s serve in the first game of the second set.
Despite several service disruptions in the closing stages, Sabalenka equalized with a comfortable victory against Pegula, with whom she had won eight of the 10 matches.
When asked about her back-to-back wins in the tournament, four-time winner Sabalenka said she felt a “really great connection” with the fans in China.
“I always feel like I’m at home playing here. It’s crazy, honestly,” he said.
Meanwhile, sixth seed Pegula faced a set down against Siniakova before fighting back to take the second set unchallenged. She then clinched the third set with her 50th win of the season and improved her chances of qualifying for next month’s season-ending WTA Finals.
In Friday’s other quarterfinals, third-seeded Coco Gauff will face Laura Siegemund, while second-seeded Iga Swiatek will face seventh-seeded Jasmine Paolini.
