Aryna Sabalenka is still perfect in Wuhan.
The 27-year-old world No. 1 improved her career record to 20-0 with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina at the Wuhan Open on Friday. The three-time defending champion recorded his 59th victory of the season and reached the semifinals for the 11th time in 15 games.
“It’s always difficult to play against her,” Sabalenka said of Rybakina. “We have a really great history of rivalry and it’s always great fights and she always pushes me to my limits.”
Sabalenka is one of four women to win all of her first 20 matches at the same event since 1990 and the first woman to achieve the feat at a WTA 1000 event since the category debuted in 2009.
How does Sabalenka feel about her perfect record in Wuhan?
“I feel at home every time I play in this stadium — it’s honestly crazy,” she said.
Things were a little more complicated than the comfortable scoreline suggested, but Sabalenka had a solid performance and improved her record to 8-5 against Rybakina to join American Jessica Pegula in the semifinals. Earlier on Friday, Pegula won her sixth three-set match in her last two matches with a 2-6 6-0 6-3 victory over unseeded Katrina Siniakova.
“She’s a great player and we always have tough games,” Sabalenka said. “I’m super excited to face her in the semifinals.”
Sabalenka has won eight of ten previous meetings with the Buffalo, N.Y., native, including the last four.
Facing No. 8 seed Rybakina, she maintained her strength from beginning to end. With a break of serve in the eighth game, she easily won the first set and led 5-3. Sabalenka converted four of her five break point opportunities in the match and sealed the victory on the third set point, but the second set would get trickier.
After racing out to a 4-1 double-break lead, Rybakina came to life by snapping Sabalenka’s run of 27 consecutive service holds, then threatened again two games later as she held a break point to level at four-all. Sabalenka seized the moment, twisted her body after holding the ball and beat Rybakina to end the game on 85 minutes.
