Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 2, pulled off a remarkable comeback to defeat Yulia Putintseva 1-6 6-4 6-0, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Wuhan Open and claiming the top spot in the live WTA race rankings. Despite a rough start, where she managed to win just one game in the opening set, Sabalenka found her rhythm and dominated the match, improving her likelihood of ending the year as No. 1 after Iga Swiatek’s absence from the Asian tour due to personal reasons that include major changes in her team.
This victory extended Sabalenka’s flawless record at the Wuhan Open, where she remains undefeated with 14 consecutive wins. Having won the tournament in 2018 and 2019, the Belarusian is chasing a rare three-peat after the event’s five-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her Thursday’s third-round match, Sabalenka struggled to find her form in the first set against world No. 35 Putintseva. However, the top seed gradually shifted the momentum, fixing her serve and applying pressure on her opponent in the second set. Once she evened the match, she surged through the final set, overpowering Putintseva in a 6-0 sweep.
Sabalenka’s powerful performance included 44 winners, though she also committed 33 unforced errors. In contrast, Putintseva only managed 13 winners and 14 unforced errors, struggling to keep up as Sabalenka intensified her play in the later stages. Sabalenka won 17 of 28 return points in the decisive third set, solidifying her dominant close to the match.
This win marks Sabalenka’s sixth comeback victory in a WTA 1000 event this year, the most of any player. Remarkably, it is also her 11th consecutive appearance in a WTA Tour quarterfinal, a feat unmatched except by Swiatek over the past 15 years.
Though Sabalenka is benefiting from Swiatek’s recent withdrawals, the Belarusian admitted she would prefer to compete against her rival directly. “I love having this competition and I love seeing her in the draw,” Sabalenka shared. “Yeah, I love to, like, get to the finals and face her in the finals. It’s always great battles. I always enjoy fights against her.”
Sabalenka also expressed her hope that Swiatek resolves her current challenges and returns to form. “I hope she’ll figure out the coach situation and she’ll be back in the Finals [year-end championships] in her best shape,” the three-time Grand Slam champion added.
While Sabalenka remains focused on her own game, she’s eager for their rivalry to continue, potentially culminating in a showdown for the year-end top ranking at the WTA Finals in Riyadh: “Hopefully we can play against each other there in the Finals, yeah, put it into a fight for world No. 1.”
Next up for Sabalenka at the Wuhan Open is a quarterfinal clash against Poland’s Magdalena Frech, who defeated ninth seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3 6-2. With her confidence soaring, Sabalenka will look to continue her unstoppable form as she aims to add another Wuhan title to her collection and strengthen her bid for the year-end world No. 1 spot.