Fourth seed Coco Gauff committed 21 double faults, the most by any player in a main-draw match this season, squandering a one-set lead and allowing top seed Aryna Sabalenka to advance to the Wuhan Open final. The Belarusian’s dominance in the Chinese city continues, as she has now won 16 consecutive matches at the WTA 1000 event, remaining undefeated at the tournament she’s claimed twice before.
Gauff dominated the early stages, winning the first set 6-1 and leading 4-2 in the second before her serve fell apart. After committing just three double faults in the opening set, Gauff made 18 more across the next two, allowing Sabalenka to turn the match around. Sabalenka capitalized on Gauff’s struggles, winning four straight games to claim the second set 6-4. In the final set, Sabalenka raced to a 3-0 lead, but Gauff fought back to level at 4-4 before double faulting on match point, handing Sabalenka the 1-6 6-4 6-4 victory.
Two-time defending champion Sabalenka has advanced to her third consecutive Wuhan final, where she will face Chinese fifth seed Zheng Qinwen, who overcame No. 51 Wang Xinyu 6-3 6-4 in the semifinals. Sabalenka, already a three-time title winner this season, will be aiming for her fourth crown of the year.
Sabalenka holds a 3-0 lead in head-to-head matchups against Zheng, with all three encounters taking place at Grand Slams. Notably, two of those straight-set victories came during Sabalenka’s runs to Grand Slam titles this year—at both the Australian Open and the US Open.
