On the evening of October 11, the 2025 Wuhan Tennis Open ushered in the pinnacle showdown of the women’s singles semifinals. Sabalenka lost to her old rival Pegula and was unfortunately eliminated. Pegula successfully advanced to the women’s singles final.
During the match, Pegula overcame a 2-5 deficit in the final set and finally defeated the three-time Wuhan Open champion and top seed Sabalenka 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(2), ending the latter’s 20-game winning streak at Wuhan Open. This week, the American star won four consecutive three-set matches and entered the seventh 1000-meter final of his career. He will compete with compatriot Gauff for the championship.
At last year’s Wuhan Open, Chinese player Wang Xinyu defeated Pegula 2-0, who was the No. 2 seed in the tournament at the time. In that game, Wang Xinyu, ranked 51st in the world, performed well and won in straight sets. A year later, Pegula had her breakthrough at the same event.
Recently, Pegula’s game has been very intense. Starting from the middle tennis, all her singles matches have been played in three sets. At the China Open, she experienced three consecutive three-set battles, losing to Noskova in the semifinals. Although the more than two hours of fierce battle consumed a lot of physical energy, she quickly regained her form at Wuhan Open.
Pegula’s career has always been accompanied by physical challenges. She once revealed that she has been suffering from back injuries for a long time and even needed a physical therapist on call during the US Open. This tenacity has allowed her to overcome difficulties repeatedly on the court and continue to achieve good results.
Sabalenka once said that the venue conditions in Wuhan are very suitable for her style of play. She plays every game with the mentality of a defending champion. After reaching the top spot at the Wuhan Open last year, Sabalenka won the women’s singles “three consecutive championships” at the Wuhan Open. This year she stopped in the semi-finals.
Looking back on this season, Sabalenka said that she is generally satisfied with her performance this year, especially winning the US Open Grand Slam championship. For the future, her goal has not changed. She is still to improve herself every day, strive to become a better athlete, continue to maintain the number one position in the world, and win more championships. “I want to see how far I can go in this sport.”
