Iga Swiatek and Elina Svitolina advanced into the third round of the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open on Wednesday, keeping their respective pushes for a place at the WTA Finals alive. Swiatek, the seventh seed, swept past compatriot Magdalena Frech, while fifth seed Svitolina had to rebuild after losing a second-set lead against Liudmila Samsonova.
Swiatek settles quickly on Wuhan centre court
Swiatek defeated world No. 56 Frech 6-2, 6-1 in one hour and 43 minutes, claiming her second victory in two career meetings with her fellow Pole. Although the scoreline was one-sided, Swiatek said the contest demanded more than it suggested.
“I’m happy to have played my first match on centre court, because I had not had the opportunity before,” Swiatek said. “At the start it was very point-by-point, but then I began making fewer errors and took my chances through to the end. It was definitely tougher than the score shows.”
- The win was Swiatek’s 40th tour-level victory of the season.
- It was also her 149th match win at WTA 1000 level.
- She moved beyond Serena Williams’ 148 WTA 1000 victories into sole possession of seventh place on the list since the category was introduced in 2009.
- Swiatek has now won at least 40 matches in each of the past five seasons.
Against opponents ranked outside the top 50 this year, Swiatek’s record improved to 19-2. Her two defeats in that bracket came against Maria Sakkari, then ranked No. 52, in Doha, and Zheng Qinwen, ranked No. 121, at the US Open.
The Pole described this campaign as her most demanding in recent years, despite extending her run of consistently high win totals.
“Every season has been so different that there is no one recipe,” she said. “I’m happy that, despite different challenges each year, I can remain consistent. This season has been the toughest, so every win means a lot, and I want to collect as many as I can.”
Swiatek said the year had taught her not to expect progress to arrive easily, adding that she was learning to value smaller gains and the work behind the results. She will meet either Ashlyn Krueger or Lanlana Tararudee in the last 16, with neither player previously having faced her.
Svitolina responds after Samsonova’s comeback
Svitolina’s route was less straightforward, but the Ukrainian emerged with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Samsonova to reach the third round. It was her second win from two matches against the Russian.
After taking the opening set 6-2, Svitolina broke early in the second and appeared to have control of the match. Samsonova recovered the break, then erased two match points late in the set before taking it 7-5 to force a decider.
Svitolina regained the initiative in the third set, breaking clear for another 6-2 set and closing the match with a composed response after the setback.
“It was a good match for me,” Svitolina said on court. “I felt I was playing well, then she came back in the second set and I had to raise my level in the third. I’m very happy that I stayed mentally tough and kept fighting.
“It was a bit of everything: finding the shots, choosing the right ball to attack, staying focused and finding a way to win.”
- Svitolina will play either Katie Volynets or Hanyu Guo for a place in the quarter-finals.
- She is currently sixth in the Race to the WTA Finals standings.
- Swiatek begins the Wuhan week 10th in that qualification race.
Finals race remains in focus
Both players need a deep run on the hard courts of Wuhan as the season-ending WTA Finals qualification picture tightens. Svitolina’s recovery against Samsonova preserved her position near the qualification places, while Swiatek’s efficient opening win gave her another chance to make up ground from 10th in the Race.
For Swiatek, the next test will bring a first-time opponent in Krueger or Tararudee. Svitolina, meanwhile, awaits the outcome of Volynets’ meeting with local player Guo as she seeks to carry Wednesday’s decisive-set response into the last 16.
