Aryna Sabalenka has become the fourth woman since 1990 to win all of their first 20 main draw matches played at the same WTA event after storming into the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open.
The world No.1 defeated former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 6-3, 6-3, in what was her first straight sets win over the Kazakh and her eighth overall in their 13-match rivalry. Sabalenka dropped serve only once during the 85-minute encounter, winning 79% of her first service points. It is the 19th time in her career that she has reached the last four of a WTA 1000 event.
“She’s a great player, very nice girl and always tough to play against,” Sabalenka said.
“We have a really huge history against each other, always great battles, and I’m always excited to play her. She always pushes me to the limit. I’m super happy with my performance today, with the win and the support in the stadium.”
Sabalenka has a perfect 20-0 record in Wuhan, where she is the three-time defending champion. So far in this year’s tournament, she has dropped only one set in three matches played, which was in her opening match against Rebecca Sramkova.
“I feel a really great connection with Chinese fans I guess. I feel at home every time I’m playing in this stadium. Honestly, it (the winning run) is crazy.” She added.
Awaiting the top seed in the semi-finals will be Jessica Pegula, who battled back from a set down to beat Katerina Siniakova 2-6, 6-0, 6-3. The win moves the American closer to qualifying for the WTA Finals, which could be confirmed later today. Pegula will secure her spot in the season-ending event if Iga Swiatek beats Jasmine Paolini in their quarter-final clash.
“I guess I’m in really good shape. I definitely don’t think I need to play anymore matches or work on any physical stuff because I’ve been able to battle through these matches and play really well. But yeah, I don’t know,” she said after beating Siniakova.
“I’m happy I’ve been able to figure things out. Obviously, I wish maybe it was more straightforward for my mental and physical sake, but if I win every match for the rest of my life in three sets, I think I’d be pretty happy.”
Pegula is growing used to three-set matches after playing eight of them in her past nine encounters on the Tour, including every match in Wuhan so far. Overall, she has won 49 matches so far this season.
The upcoming showdown will be a repeat of this year’s US Open semi-final, which Sabalenka won 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. She leads Pegula 8-2 in their head-to-head and has won their four most recent meetings since 2024.
