Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini and eighth seed Elena Rybakina advanced to the third round of the Dongfeng Voyah · Wuhan Open on Wednesday with contrasting victories.

Paolini was the first to move through, rallying past local wildcard Yue Yuan 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 for her fourth consecutive win over the Chinese player. Rybakina followed soon after, defeating Romania’s Jaqueline Adina Cristian 6-4, 6-3 to reach the round of 16.

Both players remain in contention for WTA Finals berths

With three spots still available for the season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh, both Rybakina (currently eighth) and Paolini (ninth) improved their qualification chances. Based on the current standings, Rybakina must finish at least one round ahead of Paolini this week to maintain her edge in the Race to Riyadh.

Paolini closing in on Career-Best Season

Wednesday’s win marked Paolini’s 39th WTA main-draw victory of 2025 — one short of her career-best 40 wins from last season. She will look to match that mark when she faces Denmark’s Clara Tauson next, holding a 1-0 career head-to-head lead. With a month remaining in the season, the Italian appears well on track to set a new personal best for main-draw wins in a single year.

Paolini reaches 40+ WTA 1000 Hard-Court wins

The 29-year-old also became the fourth Italian player to record 40 or more WTA 1000 hard-court main-draw wins since the format was introduced in 2009, joining Roberta Vinci, Flavia Pennetta and Sara Errani. The victory also made her the oldest player to notch 24 or more main-draw wins at WTA 1000 events in a single season since Serena Williams, who tallied 25 in 2014.

Rybakina chasing 10th Quarterfinal of the Season

Rybakina has reached nine quarterfinals on the WTA Tour this year, trailing only Iga Swiatek (13) and Aryna Sabalenka (12). She is currently tied with Jessica Pegula and Ekaterina Alexandrova, who face each other in the round of 16 in Wuhan.

Rybakina to face Noskova Next

The former Wimbledon champion will next meet in-form Czech Linda Noskova, who reached the final in Beijing last week. Rybakina leads their head-to-head 2-0, having won at Roland Garros in 2023 (6-3, 6-3) and in the Brisbane semifinals in 2024 (6-3, 6-2).