American resolve shines in Wuhan’s steam
Jessica Pegula battles back from the brink against a fellow American, Coco Gauff crushes doubts with ruthless efficiency, and Aryna Sabalenka rediscovers her groove on familiar courts as the Wuhan Open intensifies.
Under the thick Wuhan humidity that clings like a second skin, the Open’s hard courts amplified every grunt and skid Wednesday, turning late-season fatigue into raw tests of will. American players, fresh from Beijing’s bruises, channeled that grind into advances that echoed the tour’s unyielding pulse. The air buzzed with the crowd’s murmurs, a backdrop to rallies where mental resets proved as crucial as footwork.
Pegula digs deep in decider duel
Jessica Pegula, the sixth seed still shadowed by last week’s China Open semifinal loss, traded heavy groundstrokes with compatriot Hailey Baptiste in a third set that unraveled her serve twice at match point. The American’s flat backhand sliced down-the-line to reclaim edges, forcing a tiebreaker where she converted her seventh opportunity for a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (6) escape into the third round. Baptiste’s crosscourt forehands stretched Pegula’s defense, but the top player’s composure in the breaker highlighted her knack for turning pressure into propulsion on these swift surfaces.
Next up looms ninth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova, who overpowered American Ann Li 7-6 (5), 6-2 with booming serves that dictated the tempo. Pegula’s matchup against the Russian promises a baseline standoff, where consistent depth could counter Alexandrova’s inside-in aggression, building on Pegula’s recent adjustments amid the WTA 1000 swing.
“I knew after that little break ... it will be not that easy to get back in my rhythm. I’m really glad that in the second set I found my game and stepped in, and I think I played really great,” Sabalenka said. “I’m super happy to be back. I’ve won a lot of tournaments in China. It feels like home in this stadium, and I really hope I can go all the way.”
Gauff channels power past recent stumbles
No. 3 Coco Gauff, rebounding from a semifinal defeat to eventual champion Amanda Anisimova at the China Open, unleashed her athleticism on Moyuka Uchijima, dismantling the Japanese player 6-1, 6-0 in a brisk 51 minutes. Gauff’s topspin forehands inside-out pinned Uchijima deep, her one–two serve-return combos exploiting the hard court’s pace to smother any counterplay. This clinical rout, marked by crisp movement and aggressive returns, silenced whispers of form dips, propelling the young star forward with momentum that cuts through the season’s psychological haze.
As the draw deepens, Gauff’s dominance underscores her surface command, setting her up to navigate the calendar’s crush toward year-end titles, where such resets forge unbreakable strides.
Sabalenka rekindles home-court fire
Top-ranked US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, boasting an 18-0 Wuhan record from titles in 2018, 2019, and 2024, shook off a Greek holiday and China Open withdrawal to outlast Rebecca Sramkova 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 after nearly two hours. She broke early in the decider with thunderous inside-in forehands, her power game surging back amid the stadium’s roar that feels like home turf. Sabalenka’s recalibration, finding rhythm after the early set slip, turned potential rust into a statement, her words capturing the joy of reclaiming these courts.
Elsewhere, No. 16 Liudmila Samsonova rallied past 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, her net rushes flipping the script on Kenin’s underspin defense. Qualifier Kateřina Siniaková cruised by Maya Joint 6-3, 6-1 with varied crosscourt lobs, while the heat felled Karolina Muchova, who retired trailing Magdalena Frech 7-6 (1), 4-1. Samsonova’s third-round clash with Sabalenka brews as a resilience-versus-power tilt, with both eyeing deeper runs that could reshape the late-season hierarchy.