Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominance at the Wuhan Open, recording her 20th consecutive victory at the tournament with a commanding 6-3, 6-3 win over eighth seed Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals on Friday. The top-seeded Belarusian, who has won the last three editions of the event, showed her trademark power and consistency to move within two matches of another title in China.
The world number one praised her opponent afterward, admitting that Rybakina always challenges her to raise her level. “She always pushes me to the limit to get the win,” Sabalenka said after securing her place in the semifinals.
Sabalenka will next face Jessica Pegula, who battled from a set down to defeat Katerina Siniakova 2-6, 6-0, 6-3. The victory marked Pegula’s 50th win of the season and strengthened her bid for a spot at the upcoming WTA Finals.
The sixth-seeded American has shown impressive stamina lately, with her last seven matches all going to three sets, winning six of them.
In other quarter-final action, Italy’s Jasmine Paolini stunned world number two Iga Swiatek with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 performance, while Coco Gauff eased past Germany’s Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-0. The French Open champion Gauff has dropped just nine games in three matches in Wuhan and will now take on Paolini for a place in the final.
The 27-year-old, who successfully defended her US Open crown in September, was in control throughout her match against Rybakina.
After closing out the first set confidently, she immediately broke serve in the opening game of the second and never looked back.
Despite a few late service blips, Sabalenka sealed the win comfortably to maintain her unbeaten run in Wuhan.
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