Aryna Sabalenka is a Wuhan Open quarterfinalist once again after defeating Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets.
The Belarusian, who dropped the opening set in her first match since winning the US Open against Rebecca Sramkova, enjoyed a much more comfortable victory against Samsonova, beating her 6-3, 6-2.
Sabalenka has never lost a match in Wuhan, having won three titles in a row at the WTA 1000 event between 2018 to 2024.
In the next round, however, she will face her toughest test yet, which could put an end to the world number one’s perfect record of 19-0.
Aryna Sabalenka’s difficult test in the Wuhan Open quarterfinals
Sabalenka’s quarterfinal opponent comes in the form of Elena Rybakina, the former Wimbledon champion whose campaign in Wuhan has started strongly.
Though Rybakina trails in the head-to-head with the 27-year-old, she has emerged triumphant in each of their last three hard meetings.
The most recent of which came in their clash at the Cincinnati Open, where the Kazakh star knocked out the first seed convincingly, 6-1, 6-4.
| Match | Surface | Winner |
| 2025 Cincinnati Open Quarterfinals | Hard | Rybakina |
| 2025 Berlin Open Quarterfinals | Grass | Sabalenka |
| 2024 WTA Finals First Round | Hard | Rybakina |
| 2024 Madrid Open Semifinals | Clay | Sabalenka |
| 2024 Brisbane International Final | Hard | Rybakina |
| 2023 WTA Finals First Round | Hard | Sabalenka |
| 2023 China Open Quarterfinals | Hard | Rybakina |
| 2023 Indian Wells Final | Hard | Rybakina |
| 2023 Australian Open Final | Hard | Sabalenka |
| 2021 Wimbledon Fourth Round | Grass | Sabalenka |
| 2021 Abu Dhabi Open Quarterfinals | Hard | Sabalenka |
| 2019 Wuhan Open | Hard | Sabalenka |
Rybakina also conquered Sabalenka at the 2024 WTA Finals, as well as the Brisbane International that year.
Their last and only bout at the Wuhan Open was in 2019, and marked their first career meeting on the WTA Tour, in which Sabalenka won en route to the title.
It will be a tough assignment for the four-time major champion, who has not beaten Rybakina on her preferred surface since 2023.
The story of Elena Rybakina’s 2025 WTA Asian swing so far
After suffering a fourth-round exit at the US Open to Marketa Vondrousova, Rybakina entered the China Open, where she clinched just one win.
Following an opening victory over Caty McNally, she was knocked out of the tournament by Eva Lys in three sets.
Rybakina then picked two straight-set victories over Jaqueline Cristian and China Open finalist Linda Noskova to book her place in the last eight of the Wuhan Open.
Now, she will have to find a way past the three-time defending champion, who is seeking to make history by claiming a fourth consecutive title.
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