Aryna Sabalenka came back from one set down to beat Yulia Putintseva 1-6 6-4 6-0 reaching the quarter final at the Wuhan Open. Sabalenka leads the WTA Tour with 35 hard-court wins.
The two-time defending champion has extended her perfect record in Wuhan to 14-0. She has reached her 11th consecutive WTA Tour quarter final. Only Iga Swiatek has enjoyed a longer quarter final streak, advancing to 12 consecutive Round of 8 matches between Doha and Cincinnati in 2023.
Putintseva won six consecutive games with three breaks of serve to cruise through to a 6-1 lead in the first set in just 29 minutes. Putintseva made just three unforced errors in the first set and did not face a break point. Sabalenka made 14 unforced errors. Sabalenka was serving down 4-3 and faced a break point, but she saved it to hold serve. Sabalenka won the last six points of the set to force the match to the third set.
Sabalenka set up a quarter final match against Magdalena Frech, who beat Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3 6-2 in the final match of the night. She won the third set with a bagel. The US Open champion ended the match with 44 winners to 33 unforced errors.
“In the first set it feels like whatever she would do would play well for her. I am really glad that I was able to put myself together in the second set and things clicked”, said Sabalenka.
This year’s Wimbledon and Roland Garros finalist Jasmine Paolini reached the quarter final of a WTA tournament for the sixth time this season with a 6-3 6-2 win over Erica Andreeva. Paolini raced out to a 4-0 lead with double break. Andreeva pulled one break back but Paolini held on her next service games to win the first set 6-3. The Italian player earned an immediate break at the start of the second set and held on he serve to open up a 4-1 lead.Paolini won her final two service games to close out the second set 6-2.
