For the first time, Aryna Sabalenka has defeated Elena Rybakina in straight sets. The No. 1 seed delivered a near-flawless performance in the Dongfeng Voyah · Wuhan Open quarterfinals, advancing 6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Wuhan: Scores | Draws | Order of play
Coming into the match, Sabalenka had a 7-5 head-to-head lead over Rybakina. Her victories had come on hard courts, clay and grass; in Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. But they had one thing in common: all seven had been three-set battles.
“We have a really huge history against each other,” as Sabalenka put it in her on-court interview. “Always great battles, always push me to the limit to get the win.”
That was less the case this time. Appropriately, Sabalenka’s most decisive win in the series came at the tournament she has dominated since 2019. The World No. 1 improved her perfect record in Wuhan to 20-0, and she is now just two wins away from a fourth title in as many appearances. The US Open champion is also on an active winning streak of nine straight matches. She’ll get the chance to improve those numbers even more against No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula in the semifinals; she’s 8-2 overall against the American, including 4-0 in the last two seasons.
More to come…