Aryna Sabalenka battled through a shaky start to defeat Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova in her first match since winning the US Open, advancing to the third round in Wuhan.
The world number one, who successfully defended her US Open title last month by beating Amanda Anisimova in New York, looked out of rhythm early on after more than a month off.
Her game was littered with errors as Sramkova, ranked 68th, overpowered her to take the first set 6-4.
Sabalenka gradually found her range in the second set, raising her intensity and rediscovering her trademark power to level the match before cruising through the decider to seal a 4-6 6-3 6-1 victory.
“I knew it wouldn’t be easy after the break to get into my rhythm,” Sabalenka said. “But I’m happy I found my game in the second set. She played incredible tennis in the first, and there wasn’t much I could do.”
The Belarusian is a three-time defending champion in Wuhan, having triumphed in 2018, 2019, and again in 2024 after the tournament returned from a pandemic hiatus.
Asked about her growing list of Chinese nicknames, Sabalenka laughed: “First I was the ‘Daughter of China,’ then ‘Queen of Fried Rice,’ and now they call me ‘Tiger.’ I’ve won so many tournaments here—it really feels like home.”
Sabalenka will next face Liudmila Samsonova, who defeated former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 3-6 6-3 6-1.
Elsewhere, Coco Gauff stormed past Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in just 51 minutes, conceding only five points on serve, while sixth seed Jessica Pegula survived a marathon battle to beat compatriot Hailey Baptiste 6-4 4-6 7-6 (8-6) after nearly three hours on court.
In other results, Japan’s Naomi Osaka fell 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 to Czech rising star Linda Noskova, while Karolina Muchova retired due to the heat while trailing 7-6 (7-1) 4-1 against Poland’s Magdalena Frech.
