Iga Swiatek moved into uncharted territory at the Wuhan Open on Friday night, defeating Ann Li 6-4, 6-1 to reach the semifinals for the first time at the Chinese WTA 1000 event. The 1-hour, 33-minute quarterfinal win also made Swiatek the only active player to have reached the last four at each of the 10 current WTA 1000 tournaments.
- Li, playing in her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal after upsetting top seed Aryna Sabalenka earlier in the week, stayed with Swiatek through a demanding first set.
- Swiatek negotiated service holds that lasted 14 and 10 points, then protected her lead with three break points saved in the final game of the set.
- The Pole took the opening set 6-4 after 56 minutes.
- Swiatek accelerated in the second set, winning seven of the final eight games of the match to complete a 6-1 finish.
The former world No. 1 will now meet fellow Pole Maja Chwalinska in Saturday’s semifinal. It will be their first meeting on the WTA Tour, although they have faced each other once before as professionals: Swiatek beat Chwalinska 6-2, 6-3 at an ITF tournament in Stockholm in 2016, when both players were 15.
The pair also share junior history, having reached the girls’ doubles final at the 2017 Australian Open together. Their Wuhan clash will be the first all-Polish semifinal at WTA level in the Open Era. Magda Linette and Magdalena Frech played an all-Polish final in Prague in 2024.
“It’s great that we have two Polish players in the semifinals,” Swiatek said on court. “I think it means a lot to Polish tennis. Hopefully it will be a nice match. I’m really happy for Maja. She has definitely improved her game this year, so I’m looking forward to it.”
It is only the second time in the tournament’s history, which began in 2014, that two players from the same nation have been drawn against one another in the Wuhan semifinals. Zheng Qinwen and Wang Xinyu produced the first such matchup in 2024.
Swiatek’s serving edge closes the door
Li created chances but could not convert any of her three break points. Her 49 unforced errors proved costly against a player who won 74 percent of points behind her first serve and 60 percent behind her second delivery.
Swiatek had already beaten Magdalena Frech and Ashlyn Krueger without losing a set in Wuhan, and Li became the third straight-sets victim of her run. The victory was also Swiatek’s second consecutive win over an American opponent.
“We were both playing really good tennis,” Swiatek said. “We both use a lot of topspin. I was happy with the way I adapted to the different rhythm. We had played earlier this year, and I knew she would not be an easy opponent. She has been playing really well and I like her style, so I knew I had to play at my best, keep my hand loose and be fast and brave.”
Ranking points and a historic WTA 1000 target
Li’s Wuhan campaign ends one round short of her first WTA 1000 semifinal, but her victory over Sabalenka and quarterfinal run are set to bring her a career-best ranking on Monday.
For Swiatek, this is the seventh different WTA 1000 tournament at which she has made the semifinals without dropping a set. It is her first unbeaten route to that stage at this level since she won Cincinnati last season.
A win over Chwalinska would put Swiatek into her first Wuhan final and complete a remarkable set of final appearances across all 10 active WTA 1000 events.
