Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka ousted Elena Rybakina 6-3 6-3 after delivering a clinical performance to reach the Wuhan semifinal.
Through the opening seven games of the match, not a single break point was seen. But then, the top-seeded Belarusian made a breakthrough on the Kazakh's serve in the eighth game, opening a 5-3 lead before serving out for the first set.
After taking the opener, Sabalenka continued to press Rybakina and she claimed two early breaks to go 4-1 up in the second set. Down by a set and a double break, the eighth-seeded Kazakh refused to quit and managed to get one break back. However, the top seed remained unfazed, registering another break in the ninth game to complete her straight-set win in style.
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From start to finish, Sabalenka - who collected four breaks while allowing Rybakina to have break points in only one game - controlled the match.
The Belarusian now has a 20-0 record in Wuhan. For a place in her fourth Wuhan final, the 27-year-old will battle against Jessica Pegula.
Sabalenka's classy message to Rybakina
Today, the Belarusian and the Kazakh clashed for the third time this year, and overall for the 13th time. The world No. 1 now has an 8-5 head-to-head against the Kazakh.
Shes a great player. Very nice girl. Always tough to play against. We have a really huge history against each other. Always great battles. Always exciting playing her. She always pushes me to the limit to get the win. Super happy with the performance today. Happy with the win. Really happy with the support in the stadium, thank you guys for coming," Sabalenka said of Rybakina during her on-court interview.
