American outsider Ann Li produced the upset of her life on Wednesday, taking 10 match points to defeat world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in a quarter-final shock at the WTA Wuhan 1000.

The No. 31’s success kept top seed Sabalenka from a place in the final four at the event for the first time in her career.

The two-and-a-half-hour victory was the third for Li this season over a top 10 opponent. The loss was a huge blow to Sabalenka, who won the tournament on three occasions 2018, 2019 and 2024.

The run counts as a hat-trick, with the tournament played in the epicentre city for the Covid outbreak not staged from 2020 through 2023.

Li rallied from a set down to complete her biggest day in tennis.

“On some of those match points I was about to lose my mind. I was about to crash out,” the winner said.

“I didn’t even play that bad, she just played really well. 

“You have to play point by point. And I knew that if I stayed there, I could get into that situation again, which is all you can ask for.”

Li was operating from a deficit after Sabalenka swept the opening set with an eight-point surge and put the American into a second-set hole down a break of serve, 2-4.

But Li gathered her resources and claimed nine of 11 games, levelling at a set each and leading 5-2 lead in the third.

Sabalenka called for the physio for her right leg, then saved five match points before continuing the heroics for four additional recoveries from defeat.

Li finally got the job done on her 10th chance in the final-set tiebreaker, finishing it off with a forehand winner.

The protagonists from the just-completed China Open will give the WTA Wuhan event a miss, with both Zheng Qinwen and finalist Mirra Andreeva skipping the key Asian date.

Beijing weekend champion Zheng who thrilled a nation with her home title victory, is claiming a right shoulder injury which Andreeva feels “fatigue.”

“I’m very sorry to share that I will be withdrawing from this year’s Wuhan Open,” Zheng said in a statement. “Wuhan is where my tennis dream began, and the Wuhan Open is also where I made my breakthrough at the WTA 1000 level.

“I have always looked forward to competing in front of my hometown fans.

“Since returning from injury, however, I have played a demanding stretch of tennis over the past month and a half, competing at the US Open, the Billie Jean King Cup, and the China Open.

“My body is feeling very fatigued after this intense run of matches. I look forward to returning to the Wuhan Open next year and stepping onto the court in my best possible form!”

Andreeva’s Beijing performance has lifted the teenager into the ranking top 3 for the first time and gives her a shot at the world No. 1 ranking by season’s end next month.

Main photo :-Zheng Quinwen by ISF Ltd

Zheng Qinwen continued an injury comeback season on Sunday, defeating Roland Garros winner Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 to win the China Open.

Victory at the 1000-level event was the first trophy for the 54th-raked Chinese player who once reached fourth in the world before elbow surgery.

Zheng saved three set points in the opening set and claimed victory by winning the last 11 points of the set, breaking late in the second to conclude her success over her teenaged opponent.

The winner now owns six career trophies after winning her first 1000; she last claimed a title in Tokyo two years ago.

In an odd twist, the new winner was cajoled into singing a few bars of karaoke during the trophy ceremony.

She will now move back into the ranking top 25 while Andreeva advances to third in the world behind Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka after defeating her third top 10 opponent this season.

“The feeling was incredible, two weeks here in Beijing, in front of my home crowd is one of my dreams, especially playing against Mirra, such a great player,” the winner said.

“I’ve been through a very, very tough year.”

Andreeva broke new ground in her own career by reaching the final, becoming  the third-youngest this century to reach the top 3 behind Maria Sharapova and Kim Clijsters.

“She’s a great server. I also think today I missed a lot of returns trying to go for it, trying to be more aggressive,” Andreeva said,

“I wanted to go for it but couldn’t really find I guess the margin, couldn’t really find the rhythm, as well. I will probably need to look at this match and just see why, try to improve and learn from that.

“Overall of course it was a good tournament,” she added. “A lot of positives to take from these two weeks. Of course, I felt like today just wasn’t meant to be.

“I think I will be able to look to this match maybe from a different perspective and see maybe some good things.”

Main photo:- Zheng Quinwen by ISF Ltd