Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominance at the Dongfeng Voyah · Wuhan Open on Wednesday, improving her perfect record at the WTA 1000 tournament to 13-0 with a 6-4 6-4 second-round win over 37th-ranked Katerina Siniakova. The world No.2 and two-time defending champion, who received a bye in the first round, required 1 hour and 34 minutes to defeat the WTA doubles world No.1.
This win makes Sabalenka the first player to win her first 13 matches in a single city hosting a WTA event since Maria Sharapova achieved the feat in Stuttgart between 2012 and 2014. Sabalenka’s flawless record in Wuhan began with back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019 before the tournament took a five-year break. In the 2018 final, she triumphed over Anett Kontaveit, followed by a victory against Alison Riske-Amritraj in 2019.
In her second-round match against Siniakova, Sabalenka initially built a 4-2 lead in the first set, only for the Czech player to level the score. However, Sabalenka secured two set points at 5-4 and capitalized on Siniakova’s second double fault to claim the opening set. In the second set, Sabalenka once again jumped ahead with a 2-0 lead, but Siniakova clawed back, keeping the set tight. At 5-4, Sabalenka found her rhythm, using her powerful returns to create two match points, ultimately sealing the victory with a backhand winner – her 21st of the day compared to Siniakova’s 14.
In addition to her Wuhan success, Sabalenka also achieved her 50th tour-level victory of the season with this win. She trails only Iga Swiatek in total match wins for the year, with the world No. 1 notably missing in the Wuhan draw.
Next, the top-seeded Sabalenka will face world No.35 Yulia Putintseva in the Round of 16. The two have only met once before, at the 2019 US Open, where Putintseva won in straight sets. Putintseva advanced to this stage by defeating 15th seed Donna Vekic 6-4 3-6 6-4 earlier on Wednesday. (source: WTA)
