Wuhan Open Round-Up: Paolini and Rybakina keep Finals hopes alive, Swiatek and Gauff powers through

Another day in Wuhan concluded the Round of 16, defining the eight quarterfinalists of the tournament, with victories from Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini. These wins intensify the battle for the last remaining spot in the WTA Finals in Riyadh—a race that, indications suggest, will leave one of the two out of the tournament.

The rest of the top seeds completed their mission, notably featuring victories from Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka early in the day, later joined by Iga Świątek and Coco Gauff in the afternoon session. Everything is set for the quarterfinals, with six of the eight main favorites still in contention.

Jessica Pegula once again survived a three-set battle, defeating 9th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 in over two hours of play. The Russian took the lead in the first set—with an early break to go up 3-0 (and was even up 5-2), but she began to crumble against a fighting Pegula, who strung together five consecutive games for a comeback to take the first set.

Following a second set decided by a single break for the Russian, Alexandrova took the momentum and grabbed the first break in the third set. However, she couldn't maintain the advantage, and Pegula—just like in the first set—managed a comeback, winning four games in a row. The American former World No. 3 did not falter when closing the match, securing the victory on her serve.

Pegula advances to the quarterfinals, where she will face Czech qualifier Kateřina Siniaková. On the other hand, Alexandrova has secured her entry into the Top 10 for the first time in her career by the end of the tournament.

Elena Rybakina secured a notable straight-sets victory against Czech Linda Noskova 6-3, 6-4. The 20-year-old star was highly inspired, coming off her first WTA 1000 final at the China Open last week, but she was stopped by the authority of Rybakina, who gave her opponent no chances behind superb service games. The Kazakh fired 8 aces (against 6 from Noskova), though the Czech was plagued by errors with a total of 8 double faults (against zero from her opponent).

This was a high-pressure match for Rybakina, who is still fighting for a spot in the WTA Finals and was obligated to win. Noskova had only 51% first serves in, while Rybakina had 49%—however, the Kazakh was far more effective on serve, winning 77% of service points compared to just 56% for her rival. Rybakina capitalized on 2 of 12 break points, while Noskova had no opportunities throughout the match. Rybakina maintained her composure from start to finish, closing the victory after one hour and 28 minutes, staying in 9th position in the WTA Race, less than 50 points behind Paolini—who is also still alive in Wuhan. The Kazakh's next challenge will be against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

The Italian has responded to the pressure in Wuhan, knowing that Rybakina is hot on her heels for a spot in the WTA Finals in Riyadh. This time, the 29-year-old secured her passage to the quarterfinals after Dane Clara Tauson retired mid-match in the third set, with the score at 3-6, 6-3, 3-1, ret.

Tauson had started strong, taking the first set 6-3, securing two breaks and conceding her serve zero times. However, the Dane's lead was short-lived, as Paolini quickly took control of the second set, securing up to four consecutive breaks to take the second set 6-1. The Dane received treatment during the second set and again during the break before the third set, but she could not recover physically and retired when the score was 3-1 in favor of Paolini in the third. Her next challenge will be against World No. 2 Iga Swiatek.

Iga Swiatek survived a resilient Belinda Bencic in a two-set battle that exceeded two hours of play, with the Swiss showing notable resilience to stay in contention until the very end. Swiatek secured the first break right away and took an easy lead in the first set, but Bencic then recovered—winning five of the next six games with a chance to serve for the win. However, the Pole managed to reverse the situation and force a tiebreak, where she proved stronger in a high-quality set that lasted one hour and 13 minutes, closing it 7-6(2).

In the second set, Bencic took the advantage first, going up 2-0 with an early break. However, Swiatek reacted, accelerating and finding greater consistency on her serve, securing the victory 7-6(2), 6-4 and advancing to the quarterfinals, where she will face Italian Jasmine Paolini.

The World No. 3 Coco Gauff continued her run through Wuhan without issues, overcoming local wildcard Shuai Zhang 6-3, 6-2. The American struggled with double faults again—totaling 6—but generally maintained serving consistency, landing 64% of first serves in and winning 66% of those points.

The 2-time Grand Slam champion suffered two breaks of serve but converted 5 out of 9 opportunities. Gauff maintained the advantage from start to finish and had no trouble closing out the victory in straight sets, placing her name among the top eight of the tournament. She will face German Laura Siegemund—who previously eliminated Mirra Andreeva (5th seed$) and Magdalena Frech—in the quarterfinals.