Wuhan (China), Oct 9 (AP) - Aryna Sabalenka, the reigning US Open champion, continued her impressive run at the Wuhan Open, securing her 19th consecutive victory at the tournament by defeating Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-2 on Thursday. This victory propels the top-ranked Sabalenka into the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000-level event. Her current winning streak at Wuhan encompasses championship titles in 2018, 2019, and 2024.
In other action, Jessica Pegula battled back from an early break in the final set to overcome Ekaterina Alexandrova with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 triumph, thus joining Sabalenka in the final eight. Pegula, seeded sixth, who last week reached the semifinals of the China Open, managed to equalize the decisive set at 2-2 before clinching four of the last five games to secure victory.
The triumph over world No. 9 Alexandrova followed a challenging second-round match, where Pegula needed seven match points to defeat American compatriot Hailey Baptiste. It marked Pegula's sixth consecutive three-set match, winning five out of those.
Pegula commented on her performance, saying, "I can't remember the last time I played two sets. But I've been competing hard and playing against really good opponents. The conditions were a bit different today with the roof closed, and it took us a little time to adjust."
In the evening sessions, No. 2-ranked Iga Swiatek was set to clash with Belinda Bencic, while No. 3 Coco Gauff, who recently suffered a semifinal defeat to Amanda Anisimova at the China Open, was prepared to take on Zhang Shuai.
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