Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 2, pulled off a remarkable comeback to defeat Yulia Putintseva 1-6 6-4 6-0, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Wuhan Open and claiming the top spot in the live WTA race rankings. Despite a rough start, where she managed to win just one game in the opening set, Sabalenka found her rhythm and dominated the match, improving her likelihood of ending the year as No. 1 after Iga Swiatek’s absence from the Asian tour due to personal reasons that include major changes in her team.
This victory extended Sabalenka’s flawless record at the Wuhan Open, where she remains undefeated with 14 consecutive wins. Having won the tournament in 2018 and 2019, the Belarusian is chasing a rare three-peat after the event’s five-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her Thursday’s third-round match, Sabalenka struggled to find her form in the first set against world No. 35 Putintseva. However, the top seed gradually shifted the momentum, fixing her serve and applying pressure on her opponent in the second set. Once she evened the match, she surged through the final set, overpowering Putintseva in a 6-0 sweep.
Sabalenka’s powerful performance included 44 winners, though she also committed 33 unforced errors. In contrast, Putintseva only managed 13 winners…
