The quarterfinals of last WTA 1000 tournament this year delivered a fascinating mix of blockbuster clashes and expected outcomes. World number one Aryna Sabalenka continues her unstoppable march through Wuhan, extending her perfect tournament record to 20-0 after winning stellar encounter against Elena Rybakina. Jessica Pegula survived her seventh consecutive three-setter to keep her remarkable Asian swing alive. Coco Gauff cruises through formidable draw to another semifinal in China. But the story of the quarterfinals belongs to Jasmine Paolini, who delivered one of her most unexpected victories by demolishing Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-2 to snap a seven-match losing streak against the Polish star and keep her WTA Finals dreams burning bright. Here is the preview of Saturday's semifinals.
Sabalenka vs. Pegula
Aryna Sabalenka's dominance in Wuhan borders on the absurd. The three-time defending champion improved her perfect tournament record to 20-0 with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-3 victory over Elena Rybakina in their quarterfinal clash. In just 85 minutes, Sabalenka delivered her first-ever straight-sets win against the Kazakh, ending a remarkable streak where all seven of her previous victories over Rybakina had required three sets.
The match showcased Sabalenka at her devastating best. After six games of high-quality baseline exchanges where neither player faced a break point, Sabalenka pounced at 3-3. Rybakina missed a golden opportunity at 30-30, sending a short forehand over the baseline after constructing the point perfectly with a defensive lob. Sabalenka escaped that service game and never looked back, breaking in the eighth game to serve out the first set. The second set followed a similar pattern, with Sabalenka's relentless power and improved consistency proving too much for the 2022 Wimbledon champion.
This victory marked Sabalenka's ninth consecutive win since returning from a month-long break following her US Open triumph. The world number one has yet to lose a set at a tournament where she claimed titles in 2018, 2019, and 2024. Her path through Wuhan included victories over Rebecca Sramkova (4-6, 6-3, 6-1) and Liudmila Samsonova (6-3, 6-2), with the Rybakina match representing her most complete performance of the week.
Jessica Pegula is the ultimate warrior of the Asian swing. The American's semifinal victory over Katerina Siniakova by 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 marked her seventh consecutive match played on the whole distance. Pegula won six out of this series which started 29th September in Beijing. This was probably the easiest victory in that time, despite a very slow start noted by Pegula. Siniakova approached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since seven years with a great boost of confidence related with run which started in qualifying, without losing a set up to this point. Siniakova was holding her games very well since the start despite serving being somewhat her liability in longer run - the Czech won 16 out of 21 points played on serve in first set, allowing no break points from Pegula and putting enough pressure to win the set with double break.
Pegula has finally entered the contention since the start of second set which was a devastating beatdown, absolutely unexpected in contrary to the course of events in first set. Siniakova has dropped her level massively, while Pegula found her rhythm to win with a bagel. The Czech managed to win just seven out of 31 points played in that set, including only 25% of service points. The start of decider gave some hopes of competitive contest till the end - Siniakova won two games and produced a few break points in that set, but ultimately the American has overplayed her lower-ranked opponent. The advance into eighth semifinal of the year is a remarkable achievement, while Pegula's consistency got awarded with officially qualifying to WTA Finals after the results of other matches on Friday.
Sabalenka holds an 8-2 head-to-head advantage over Pegula, including a perfect 4-0 record over the past two seasons and including their encounters in decisive stages of US Open - the championship match in 2024 and semifinal five weeks ago. It's hard to see Pegula's chances in Saturday's clash with Sabalenka knowing her enormous fatigue in recent days. The American has already played with taped thigh against Siniakova, while Sabalenka seemingly clicks her highest gear back after getting rested for a few weeks after victorious campaign in Flushing Meadows.
Gauff vs. Paolini
The second semifinal delivers a clash between two players riding contrasting paths to the final four. Coco Gauff advanced with workmanlike efficiency, defeating Laura Siegemund to reach her fifth consecutive WTA 1000 quarterfinal in China. Jasmine Paolini, meanwhile, authored one her biggest victories of the season by dismantling second seed Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-2 in just 65 minutes to snap a seven-match losing streak against the world number two.
Paolini arrives with the momentum of a lifetime performance. The Italian's destruction of Swiatek represented the turnover after their seven meetings, snapping a streak where Paolini had won just one set total against the Polish star. The statistics tell the story of a masterclass: Paolini converted all five break points while Swiatek managed just one of three. The Italian won 73% of first-serve points compared to Swiatek's 48%, and dominated on second serve even more emphatically, winning 62% while the Pole won just two (!) out of 15 points on second delivery.
What made Paolini's victory even more remarkable was the manner of her dominance. She took time away from Swiatek with aggressive returns, pushed the Polish star back with deep, penetrating groundstrokes, and never allowed her opponent to establish any rhythm. After seven consecutive losses where Swiatek had dropped only one set to her, Paolini flipped the script entirely. The Italian fired winners from all areas of the court, particularly devastating with her forehand crosscourt angles that left Swiatek scrambling.
The victory couldn't have come at a better time for Paolini, who entered Wuhan clinging to eighth place in the WTA Finals Race. With Elena Rybakina losing to Sabalenka in the quarterfinals, Paolini now holds a 218 points of cushion over the Kazakh for that crucial final spot in Riyadh. The Italian needs just a few more victories to secure her maiden WTA Finals appearance. That performance was not expected after two difficult matches played by Tauson so far in Beijing. The world number eight struggled against lower-ranked Yue Yuan and Clara Tauson, making up the gap after losing opening set against both with not bringing the A game on court. After surviving those two matches, Paolini put the absolutely brilliant performance to mark her ninth wins in last 10 and 16th in last 20 matches played.
Gauff's path through the draw has been notably softer than some of her rivals. She faced no seeded opponents until the quarterfinals, where she met the 37-year-old Laura Siegemund. The German had upset fifth seed Mirra Andreeva in the second round but couldn't replicate that magic against Gauff. Already qualified for the WTA Finals and admittedly feeling less pressure post-Grand Slam season, the 21-year-old appears loose and confident heading into the semifinals. The match against Siegemund started slowly for Gauff who got broken by the German in the opening game. However, Gauff has quickly denied any chances for upset on that day, quickly getting control of this match and booking the semifinal spot with a bagel, winning by 6-3, 6-0. Despite that, the American has followed her liability pattern from this season, making six double faults (her average in 2025 is 6.4). This year's French Open champion has won 19 matches in China over the past three years, the most of any player on the WTA Tour. She reached the Wuhan semifinals last season before falling to eventual champion Sabalenka, and her comfort level in Chinese conditions is evident.
This will be sixth meeting between Paolini and Gauff. The Italian leads H2H by 3-2, including the current run of three consecutive victories - all achieved in 2025. Paolini won two matches on clay including the huge victory on home soil in WTA 1000 Rome's final. The last one came up in Cincinnati, when Paolini came back from a set down to defeat Gauff in quarterfinal, eventually being a runner-up in this tournament. The similarities of their dominance and efficiency records on hard courts this year can promise some very tight and competitive match with more emotions expected than in Sabalenka vs. Pegula clash.
