WUHAN, China – Iga Swiatek kept up her push to qualify for the WTA Finals, grinding out a 6-1, 6-4 win over American Ashlyn Krueger to reach the quarterfinals of the Wuhan Open. Swiatek also benefited from a loss by Karolina Muchova earlier in the day.
Krueger, who entered the draw as a lucky loser after losing in qualifying, pressured Swiatek for parts of the second set. She committed 44 unforced errors to the Polish player’s 27.
Swiatek Faces Another American Next
Swiatek will face another American in the quarterfinals. Ann Li eliminated Indonesia’s Janice Tjen 6-1, 7-6 (1) later Thursday.
A title in Wuhan would allow Swiatek to close the gap on Muchova in the Race to the WTA Finals rankings ahead of the season-ending event next month in Indian Wells, California. Swiatek, who has reached the finals every year since 2021, is 10th in the Race, and the top eight qualify.
Muchova Falls, Svitolina Advances
Wimbledon finalist and sixth-seeded Muchova lost 7-5, 6-3 to 11th-seeded Diana Shnaider, who next plays former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina broke Chinese wild-card entry Guo Hanyu‘s serve in the opening and final games to win 6-1, 6-4 and advance to the quarterfinals. Guo was coming off a breakout run that included her first career top-20 win, a first-round victory over Sorana Cirstea, despite being ranked 240th.
Svitolina lost in the quarterfinals at the China Open last week to eventual champion Zheng Qinwen. She next plays Sonay Kartal, who stunned Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-0 in barely an hour.
Jovic Upset, Top Seeds Exit
Tenth-seeded young American Iva Jovic was upset 6-4, 6-1 by Maja Chwalinska.
On Wednesday, top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka and second-seeded Jessica Pegula lost their second-round matches. The loss marked two straight defeats for Sabalenka, who was beaten by Nikola Bartunkova in the third round at the China Open last week after receiving a bye in the opening round at Wuhan.