Sabalenka snaps Gauff's streak to make third Wuhan final; faces Zheng

WUHAN -- World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka snapped No.4 Coco Gauff's nine-match win streak to stay perfect at the Dongfeng Voyah · Wuhan Open. In a battle between the last two US Open champions, Sabalenka came from a set and a break down to beat the American 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals to advance to her third straight Wuhan final.

Sabalenka, a two-time defending champion, improved to 16-0 in Wuhan, dating back to her debut in 2018. 

Wuhan:  Scores | Schedule | Draws

On Sunday, Sabalenka is bidding to capture her fourth Hologic WTA title of the season and 17th overall. After winning the Australian Open in January, Sabalenka has been on a hot streak since the start of the Cincinnati Open in August. She has won 19 of her last 20 matches and has made the final or better at three of her last four tournaments, winning in Cincinnati and the US Open. A win in Wuhan would give her two WTA 1000 titles in a single season for the first time in her career. 

Sabalenka will face No.7 Zheng Qinwen for the title. The Olympic champion continued her exemplary run through the Asian swing, advancing to her first WTA 1000 final by defeating Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-4 in the first all-Chinese semifinal at a WTA 1000. 

Match notes: Entering the match, Gauff and Sabalenka had split their last four hard court meetings. Gauff prevailed in the most notable showdown, coming in the US Open final last fall. Sabalenka won their only meeting of this year, winning in straight sets in the Australian Open semifinal. 

Gauff needed just 28 minutes to pocket the first set, outplaying the top seed in every department. She opened up a 5-0 lead by holding Sabalenka to just one winner and holding her serve with ease. The duo traded five breaks of serve to open the set before Gauff notched the first hold to lead 4-2.

"Honestly, I think in the first set she was just crushing it," Sabalenka said. "Whatever she was doing, everything was flying in. Everything was so aggressive. I didn't have much opportunities."

Turning point: Though Sabalenka found herself behind in the scoreline, the first six games of the set also revealed solutions. She settled into a more aggressive game plan to turn the set around, working the ball flat and wide to get Gauff on the run and powering the ball through the open space. She also saw Gauff's serve, which had been impenetrable in the first set, start to break down. The American hit a season-high 21 double faults in the match. 

"I was playing that match thinking, Well, girl, I feel you," Sabalenka said, referring to her own serving issues from two seasons ago. "I feel you like nobody else. I know what she's going through. This is really difficult. This is really tough. But I know that if she'll be able to overcome this serve situation, she already one of the best players, but I'm pretty sure she's going to be one of the greatest players."

"I was just trying to put as much pressure on her as I can so she would go even crazier on her serve."

With the vocal support of the crowd behind her, Sabalenka battled back to break Gauff to tie the set at 4-4. Under pressure again on serve, Sabalenka wiped out a break point with gritty work from the baseline to lead 5-4, sealing the game with a perfect drop shot winner.

With Gauff serving to stay in the set, Sabalenka struck a remarkable lunging forehand volley winner to earn her first point of the game and coolly broke the American to take the match to a third. 

Gauff's last stand: After winning the last four games of the second set, Sabalenka headed into the third with all the momentum. Sabalenka took her streak to seven consecutive games to lead 3-0 in the final frame before Gauff stormed back from 4-1 down to level at 4-4. But a clinical hold to stopped Gauff's run of three games.

Sabalenka broke one final time, as Gauff struck her final double fault of the night to end the 2-hour and 26-minute match. Both players finished with 31 winners and 35 unforced errors. 

Sabalenka's analysis: "In the second set, she dropped her speed a little bit," Sabalenka said. "I was able to step in and put so much pressure on her. I was able to go in the net, finish points there, put even more pressure on her.

"I think it was just a matter of who's going to take these first shots, like who is going to control the point. I think that's what changed in the second set. That's what changed in the third set, as well."

Zheng breaks new ground on home turf: Zheng backed up her quarterfinal win over No.3 seed Jasmine Paolini with a solid performance to ease past Wang in 1 hour and 39 minutes. She is the first Chinese player to make a WTA 1000 final since Li Na and the first to do so in her hometown of Wuhan. 

"Honestly, before this tournament I have some expectations. Also I'm really excited to play in Wuhan because it's my home. Right now, physically I had a little bit low fever. Was funny 'cause also in China Open, the first round I had low fever, too. That was little bit shame.

"Actually mentally I was quite good, it's just physical I'm not 100 percent. That happens. Whatever, I will give my best tomorrow is what I can do."

Zheng has now won 24 of her last 27 matches, a span that includes titles in Palermo and the Olympics, a second straight US Open quarterfinal, Beijing semifinals, and now her fourth final of the season.