Sabalenka Advances to Wuhan Semifinals, Extends 20-Match Win Streak

Aryna Sabalenka extended her unbeaten run at the Wuhan Open on Friday, beating Elena Rybakina 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center. The world number one broke Rybakina three times in a 1 hour, 25 minute match to push her Wuhan winning streak to 20 matches and maintain her run at the Chinese hardcourt event where she has won titles in 2018, 2019 and 2024.

Sabalenka, fresh off a U.S. Open title in September, has required only three matches to arrive at the final eight after a first-round comeback against Rebecca Šramková and a straight-sets victory over Liudmila Samsonova in the third round. Against Rybakina she combined aggressive serving and heavy baseline hitting, firing 21 winners while limiting unforced errors and breaking serve at timely moments. After the match she said on court that the pair have "a really huge history" and praised the competitive battles they have shared.

The victory sets up a semifinal meeting with sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula, who advanced earlier Friday by rallying past Katerina Siniakova and by beating Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 in the round of 16. Pegula, who has been...