Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff Keep U.S. Hopes Alive in Wuhan—but One Victory Wasn't as Easy as It Looked
Jessica Pegula fought through nerves, pressure, and two lost chances to serve out the match before finally overcoming fellow American Hailey Baptiste in a nail-biting third set tiebreaker on Wednesday at the Wuhan Open. It wasn’t a smooth finish—Pegula was twice broken while trying to seal the deal—but on her seventh match point, she held her nerve and closed it out 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (6) to move into the tournament’s third round.
Pegula, seeded sixth, has been on a determined comeback path after falling short in last week’s China Open semifinals. She now faces a challenging third-round matchup against ninth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who dispatched American Ann Li 7-6 (5), 6-2 in her previous round. For Pegula, this next clash could be a major test of consistency and resilience—two areas she’s been striving to strengthen all season.
Meanwhile, world No. 3 Coco Gauff made her progress look effortless. After a disappointing semifinal loss to eventual China Open champion Amanda Anisimova, Gauff stormed back into form with a commanding 6-1, 6-0 sweep of Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima. The 51-minute masterclass was pure domination—Gauff barely gave her opponent time to breathe, let alone find rhythm. But here's where it gets interesting: some critics argue that Gauff's rapid-fire wins early in tournaments sometimes rob her of the match toughness she needs later. Do you agree, or does her explosive play style speak for itself?
Elsewhere on the courts, No. 16 seed Liudmila Samsonova mounted an impressive comeback to defeat the 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. Qualifier Kateřina Siniaková also advanced, breezing past Maya Joint 6-3, 6-1. Samsonova’s strong finish earned her a high-stakes third-round encounter with reigning U.S. Open champion Aryna Sabalenka—a matchup many fans see as one of the most electric of the week.
Speaking of Sabalenka, the world No. 1 has been practically unbeatable in Wuhan. With a staggering 18-0 record at this event and three titles to her name (2018, 2019, and 2024), she’s chasing another crown in what she calls her second home. After taking a well-deserved Greek holiday following her second straight U.S. Open win, Sabalenka skipped the China Open to rest up. But any signs of rust quickly vanished—after dropping the first set to Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova, she roared back to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in just under two hours.
“I knew that coming back after a short break wasn’t going to be easy,” Sabalenka admitted afterward. “But in the second set, I found my groove again and started playing confidently. It’s an incredible feeling to return here—I’ve had so much success in this stadium, it truly feels like home.”
Not everyone was as lucky to finish, though. Karolina Muchova added her name to the growing list of players undone by Wuhan’s notorious heat and humidity. She was forced to retire from her match trailing Magdalena Frech 7-6 (1), 4-1, becoming the latest casualty of the grueling conditions.
Between the blazing temperatures, tense tiebreaks, and relentless performances from the sport’s biggest names, the Wuhan Open is shaping up to be one of the most dramatic WTA events this season. But here’s the question fans are already debating: Is Sabalenka’s dominance in Wuhan a sign she’s pulling away from the rest of the tour—or can rising stars like Gauff and Pegula finally break her Chinese winning streak? Share your take in the comments—where do you think the breakthrough will come?
