Wuhan 2018: Friday's Order of Play and Match Points
CENTER
Starting at 2:30pm
Shuko AOYAMA (JPN) / Lidziya MAAROZAVA (BLR) v Elise MERTENS (BEL) / Demi SCHUURS (NED) [6]
Not before 4:30pm
Anett KONTAVEIT (EST) v [WC] WANG Qiang (CHN)
Not before 6:30pm
Aryna SABALENKA (BLR) v Ashleigh BARTY (AUS) [16]
Anastasia PAVLYUCHENKOVA (RUS) / Anastasija SEVASTOVA (LAT) v Andrea SESTINI HLAVACKOVA (CZE) / Barbora STYRCOVA (CZE) [2]
MATCH POINTS
Aryna Sabalenka is aiming to reach her first Premier 5 final. The 20-year-old previously reached the semifinal stage in Cincinnati last month, where she was beaten by WTA World No.1 Simona Halep.
Sabalenka’s only previous match against Barty came in the Australian Open earlier this year. It proved a tight affair, with the WTA World No.17 winning through, 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-4.
The Belarusian leads the Tour this year for three-set matches won. She has claimed 19 such victories, including two this week.
Barty is the only seeded player left in the competition. Indeed, she was also the only seeded player in the quarterfinals.
The Australian reached the final in Wuhan last year, where she was beaten, 6-7(3), 7-4(4), 6-2 by Caroline Garcia. She has not reached such a stage at this tier of competition since.
Wang Qiang has never previously faced Anett Kontaveit.
Wang continues to blaze a trail for Chinese players in Wuhan; she was the first woman from the country ever to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament. Additionally, she was the first wildcard to progress that far.
The WTA World No.34 has won 20 matches since the conclusion of the grass court season.
Kontaveit is playing in her third semifinal of 2018, having reached this stage of both Stuttgart and Rome.
A quarterfinalist in Wuhan last year, this is the first time she has reached this stage of a hard court tournament in 2018.
WTA Finals qualifications are at stake in doubles: if No.2 seeds Andrea Sestini-Hlavackova and Barbora Strycova win their semifinal against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Anastasija Sevastova, they'll book their ticket to Singapore.
But they're not the only ones with Singapore in their sights: if Elise Mertens and Demi Schuurs go on to win the title in Wuhan, they too will qualify.
