Maja Chwalinska turned a breakthrough season into a landmark Wuhan result on Thursday, toppling world No. 11 Iva Jovic 6-4, 6-1 to reach the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open quarterfinals. The French Open runner-up and 16th seed delivered the highest-ranked victory of her career, closing the third-round contest in 1 hour and 49 minutes.
Key takeaways
- Chwalinska defeated 10th seed Jovic in straight sets for her first WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz quarterfinal.
- The Pole secured the opening set with a break in the ninth game before serving it out.
- After an even start to the second set, Chwalinska reeled off five games in a row.
- She produced 17 winners and only 15 unforced errors, while Jovic finished with 23 winners but 31 unforced errors.
- Maria Sakkari awaits in the last eight after beating wild card Mia Pohankova 6-1, 6-4.
Chwalinska finds the cleaner level in Wuhan
The meeting paired two of the season’s emerging names, but Chwalinska was steadier in the decisive moments on the Wuhan hard courts. With the first set level at 4-4, she broke Jovic’s serve in the ninth game and then held to move ahead.
Jovic’s attacking numbers were higher, but so was her error count. The 10th seed struck 23 winners, six more than Chwalinska, yet gave away 31 unforced errors. Chwalinska kept her own total to 15 while finding 17 winners of her own.
Both players held serve at the beginning of the second set, but the match quickly shifted. Jovic’s mistakes increased and Chwalinska took full control, sweeping the final five games to seal a 6-1 set and her place in the quarterfinal draw.
Sakkari rematch set for the quarterfinals
Chwalinska will now play Sakkari in a contest that will decide one of the semifinal places in Wuhan. The Greek advanced earlier on Thursday with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Pohankova.
The upcoming match will be the third between Chwalinska and Sakkari. Sakkari won their first encounter, a three-set qualifying match in Rome last year. Chwalinska levelled their head-to-head record this season, defeating the Greek in three sets in the third round at Roland Garros.
