Aryna Sabalenka out early again, stunned by Ann Li at Wuhan Open as Jessica Pegula also dumped out early
WTA
Aryna Sabalenka will not be winning in China this year, with the World No. 2 being dumped out in the last 32 of the Wuhan Open by Ann Li in a match that perhaps could've been won even earlier compared to the 3-6, 6-4, 7-5(5) scoreline in favour of the American.
The potential for a tie between Iga Swiatek and Sabalenka was very much there for the taking, but Li had other ideas. Albeit she nearly faltered as she missed 10 match points before finally taking it to continue on in Wuhan.
Sabalenka was the better of the two early breakers and going 4-1 up, and despite Li breaking back, Sabalenka had the measure of her immediately and broke again for 5-3 before sealing the deal for set one 6-3.
But in set two, this is where it started to get sticky. She went 4-2 up and was seemingly even on course for victory. But Li broke for 4-4 from 4-2 down and sealed the set 6-4.
Aryna Sabalenka falls again.
Then came the interesting part as Sabalenka was forced to take an MTO for her injury at 4-1 down as she started to fall apart. Li could've had it won at 5-2 up, missing five match points in a single game, before she also had them at 5-4 up twice, and finally she managed to prevail but in a tie-break where she had even more. So Sabalenka could've so easily escaped, but the American ace managed to provide.
Sabalenka previously held a 20-0 record at the venue that the Wuhan Open is held at and is a three-time champion. Prior to losing to Jessica Pegula at the event, she was all but untouchable and has now suffered her second straight loss.
This was even the case prior to her breaking out and becoming the all-conquering force that the tennis world has seen in recent years. She was often known for Dubai and Wuhan and how well she plays in these conditions.
But the issue now has been that she has managed to lose again early after also doing so in China, and she now has to go back to the drawing board towards the WTA Finals in a bit of a slump as of late.
She is also seemingly battling a right knee injury and had to take a medical timeout during the contest, and even through that, Li nearly let it slip herself before she managed to finally get over the line.
Pegula is also out
Li now faces Janice Tjen in the next round. Leylah Fernandez ends today, but there were other wins for Iga Swiatek over Magdalena Frech, and Maja Chwalinska won through as well as Iva Jovic, Karolina Muchova, Diana Shnaider and Jasmine Paolini.
Late in the day, Tjen, home hero Guo, beat Volynets. While Jessica Pegula has also been skittled out. She lost in three to Jelena Ostapenko 2-6, 7-6, 6-3.
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Ashlyn Krueger also won too, which means those left that are outstanding include Swiatek, Jovic and Svitolina, with Sabalenka and Pegula falling quickly.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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