Sabalenka battles to keep Wuhan record alive, Pegula survives marathon

WUHAN, China: Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka battled hard Wednesday to keep her unbeaten record in Wuhan intact, having to come from behind to beat Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
The world number one started slowly in her first match since she clinched a fourth Grand Slam title at the US Open last month.
But the Belarusian found her power game in the final set to reach the Wuhan Open last 16, where she will face the 16th-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova.
Sabalenka is chasing a fourth consecutive crown in Wuhan where she has a perfect 18-0 win-loss record.
The first three games went against serve but it was Sramkova who consolidated for 3-1, and it was all she needed to grab the opening set in 35 minutes, firing 15 winners.
Sabalenka hit back to level and swept through the decider to win in just under two hours.
“She played incredible tennis, especially in the first set.

There wasn’t much I could do against her,” said Sabalenka.
“I knew after that little break, it will be not that easy to get back in my rhythm.
“But I’m really glad that in the second set I found my game, I stepped in, and I think I played really great.”
Gauff cruise
Third seed Coco Gauff, a semifinalist in Wuhan last year, booked her place in the last 16 with a smooth 6-1, 6-0 performance against Japanese qualifier Moyuka Uchijima.
Gauff was flawless throughout a 51-minute victory that was her 18th on Chinese soil since 2023, the most at WTA level by any player in China during that period.
Gauff will square off with Chinese wildcard Zhang Shuai for a place in the quarter-finals.
In contrast, world number six Jessica Pegula survived a “wild ride,” needing seven match points and almost three hours to overcome fellow American Hailey