Top seed Sabalenka falls at first hurdle in Wuhan
Aryna Sabalenka suffered a second early exit as her bid for a fourth Wuhan Open title was foiled by American world No 31 Ann Li, who won 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in the second round.
Wuhan, China witnessed a second early exit for Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka, as she lost to American Ann Li in the second round of the Wuhan Open. The top-seeded Sabalenka, who has not won a title since March, struggled to maintain her momentum against Li, who ultimately defeated her 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in a match that lasted two hours and 27 minutes.
Sabalenka, who is currently ranked fourth, had previously fallen to Nikola Bartunkova in the third round of the China Open and had lost her top ranking to Elena Rybakina. Despite her efforts, including saving nine match points, Sabalenka was unable to overcome Li's resurgence. In other matches, Jessica Pegula, the second-seeded player, was also eliminated by Jelena Ostapenko, who snapped her 22-match winning streak at WTA 1000 events.
Meanwhile, top-ranked Iga Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, secured her opening victory of the tournament with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Poland's Magdalena Frech.
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- Top seed Sabalenka falls at first hurdle in Wuhan freemalaysiatoday.com
