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.
Sabalenka holds off late charge: Through the first six games, there was little to separate the rivals. Going toe-to-toe with each other from the baseline, Sabalenka and Rybakina racked up breathtaking winners galore, coming through a pair of tight service holds each without facing break point.
At 3-3, 30-30, Rybakina had a golden opportunity to bring up the first break opportunity of the match, conjuring a perfect defensive lob to get back into the point — but she sent the short forehand way over the baseline, and Sabalenka escaped with a hold. That proved to be the turning point, and the start of a five-game run for Sabalenka that took her to a 2-0 lead in the second set.
In this passage of play, Sabalenka was free-flowing on her forehand and sharp from defensive positions, while Rybakina’s level dipped and her unforced errors mounted. Another flurry of forehand winners in a game Rybakina had led 40-0 enabled Sabalenka to steal the double break for 4-1 in the second set.
Closing out the match wasn’t simple. Sabalenka served three double faults over her next two service games, paving the way for Rybakina to get one of the breaks back and to hold a point to level at 4-4. But the Kazakhstani player netted a volley on that break point, enabling Sabalenka to escape once again. Having avoided the momentum shift, Sabalenka converted her first match point as Rybakina sent a forehand long in the next game.