Three-time Wuhan champion Aryna Sabalenka extended her perfect record at the Chinese tournament, scoring her first straight-sets victory over Elena Rybakina in their 13 career encounters. Embracing the home-like atmosphere in Wuhan and the strong support from Chinese fans, Sabalenka powered into the semifinals with a 6-3 6-3 win, stretching her unbeaten run at the WTA 1000 event to an outstanding 20-0.
Wearing the Nike Fall Slam 2 Dress, Sabalenka displayed authority from start to finish against Rybakina — an opponent who has always pushed her to the limit and with whom she shares a long, hard-fought rivalry, as she later noted in her on-court interview.
The opening games were evenly matched, both players firing winners and holding serve under pressure until 3-3, when Rybakina squandered a golden chance to earn the first break point. That missed opportunity shifted the momentum: Sabalenka held serve, then went on a five-game tear that carried her to the first set and an early break in the second.
Even after building a 40-0 lead in one game, the Kazakhstani couldn’t hold off Sabalenka’s barrage of winners, and soon found herself trailing 4-1. Still, the finish wasn’t smooth for Sabalenka, who wobbled with several double faults and let Rybakina claw back a break. The world No. 9 even held a chance to level at 4-4, but netted a volley at a crucial moment. The top seed escaped, regained control, and sealed the match on her first match point.
Opta data highlights Sabalenka’s achievement as historic: she has become only the fourth woman since 1990 to start 20-0 in the main draw of the same WTA tournament. The others to reach such a milestone are Monica Seles at the Australian Open (33-0), Steffi Graf in Leipzig (25-0), and Caroline Wozniacki in New Haven (20-0).
In the semifinals, Sabalenka will face sixth seed Jessica Pegula, a rival she leads 8–2 in their head-to-head record. Pegula secured her spot in the last four by outlasting Katerina Siniakova 2-6 6-0 6-3, her seventh straight three-set match.
