Sabalenka and Pegula Beaten in the Round of 32 at the Wuhan Open
Li converted her 10th match point after Sabalenka saved nine, ending the top seed’s bid for a fourth Wuhan title.
- On Wednesday, unseeded American Ann Li defeated top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 at the Wuhan Open, eliminating the three-time champion from the round of 32.
- This defeat extends a winless drought for the four-time Grand Slam champion, who has not lifted a trophy since the 'Sunshine Double' in March and surrendered her world number one ranking to Elena Rybakina.
- Sabalenka's error-strewn performance proved costly, committing 44 unforced errors compared to Li's 28 during the two-hour, 27-minute match, while requiring a medical timeout for her taped right knee.
- Earlier on Wednesday, American second seed Jessica Pegula also exited the tournament, losing 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 to 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko after squandering three match points.
- Sabalenka, who previously claimed the Wuhan title in 2018, 2019, and 2024, now faces finishing 2026 without a major title; the tournament was not held from 2020 to 2023 due to COVID-19.
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63 Articles
The 28-year-old Belarusian woman fell 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in the second round against the American Ann Li (31st), who needed up to ten game balls to achieve her first victory against Sabalenka, after three previous defeats. World number 2, who wore a bandage on her right knee on Wednesday, came to lead 4-2 the second set, but lost four consecutive games and the second sleeve. The decisive set reached the tie-break, in which Li got ahead 6-3, but…
Writing sports, 14 Oct (EFE).- After having the score against 6-3 and 4-2, and being only two games away from the defeat, the American Ann Li, who had never been able to prevail on Aryna Sabalenka, reacted and returned to the Belarusian, number two of the world, to which she departed from the Wuhan tournament [...] The entry Ann Li surprises, goes back and eliminates Sabalenka was first published in HolaNews.
Aryna Sabalenka floored by unseeded Ann Li in massive Wuhan Open shocker
Unseeded American Ann Li stunned top seed Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) to knock the Belarusian out of the Wuhan Open in a massive upset. Sabalenka's struggles continued as Li rallied from a set down to claim the biggest win of her career and set up a round-of-16 clash against Janice Tjen.
For the two top-ranked players Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula, the kick-off match of the WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan came off on Wednesday.
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