Aryna Sabalenka saved nine match points before losing in three sets to Ann Li at the Wuhan Open on Wednesday. The top seed’s 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) defeat came in a dramatic last-32 match, and the four-time major winner needed treatment on her taped-up right knee during the contest.
Li rallied from 4-2 down in the second set to beat Sabalenka, a three-time champion in Wuhan. The American closed out the win on her 10th match point, the first one she had on her own serve.
It is the second straight loss for Sabalenka, who was beaten by Nikola Bartunkova in the round of 32 at the China Open last week. Her previous event was the U.S. Open, where she lost in the final to Elena Rybakina.
A Long Finish in the Deciding Set
Sabalenka trailed 4-1 in the third set when she called for treatment on her right knee, which was already taped. She went on to fall behind 5-2, then recovered to 5-5 and forced a tiebreaker. Li won it, hitting a big forehand winner on her last match point for one of the biggest wins of her career.
Pegula Falls After Squandering Chances
Earlier, second-seeded Jessica Pegula squandered three match points and lost to Jelena Ostapenko in three sets. It was the American’s first match in more than a month. Ostapenko won 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-3 in an unlikely comeback, saving match points three times in the second set.
Pegula, a finalist in Wuhan last year, had not played since losing to Sabalenka in the U.S. Open semifinals. She took an extended break and skipped events in Singapore and Beijing because of the physical toll of her busy summer schedule.
Swiatek and Other Results
Iga Swiatek had an easier time, advancing to the round of 16 with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Magdalena Frech. The six-time major winner started slowly, dropping an early service game and falling behind 2-0. She then won six straight games to take the first set and kept her momentum by winning four straight games to open the second. Swiatek is seeded No. 7 in the WTA 1,000-level event and reached the quarterfinals of the China Open in Beijing.
In other second-round matches, No. 5 Elina Svitolina defeated Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 5-7, 6-2. No. 170-ranked Sonay Kartal upset No. 9 seed Belinda Bencic 6-0, 7-5. Sixth-seeded Karolina Muchova beat Caty McNally 3-6, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (4) and will next face Diana Shnaider.