Ann Li beats Sabalenka in Wuhan on her tenth match point

American player Ann Li knocked Aryna Sabalenka out in the second round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan. The top seed and three-time champion lost 3:6, 6:4, 6:7 (5:7). The match lasted two hours and 27 minutes, and the winner finally closed it out on her tenth match point.

Sabalenka won the first set and then took a 4-2 lead in the second. Li responded by winning four consecutive games to force a deciding set. The American moved ahead 4-1 in the third, but the Belarusian fought back, saved match points and took the set to a tie-break.

Nine missed match points

After the match, Li admitted that the string of missed opportunities nearly made her lose her composure. “On some of those match points, I was already close to losing it,” the American said. She explained that she tried to remind herself how well her opponent played the important points and to approach each new point without dwelling on the last.

She made those comments in her post-match interview. It was Li's first victory over Sabalenka and took her into the third round in Wuhan for the first time.

The numbers help explain why the favourite could not secure the win. According to statistics cited by Reuters, Sabalenka committed 44 unforced errors to Li's 28. The American also hit more aces: eight compared with two.

Sabalenka again fails to defend her ranking points in Asia

Sabalenka won the Wuhan tournament in 2018, 2019 and 2024. This time, she played just one match there. The defeat followed a disappointing result in Beijing, where the Belarusian had also been eliminated earlier than expected.

This season, she won the tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami but finished without a Grand Slam title. In the US Open final, Sabalenka lost to Elena Rybakina, who subsequently took over the world No. 1 ranking from her.

Li achieved the biggest victory of her career in terms of her opponent's ranking. Her next match in Wuhan marked her first appearance in the third round of this tournament.