Published Oct 13, 2026 11:30 pm : Updated Oct 14, 2026 6:46 am
Elise Mertens, of Belgium, reacts to her coach during play against Iga Swiatek, of Poland, in the quarterfinals of the women's singles match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
WUHAN, China (AP) — Jessica Pegula squandered three match points and lost to Jelena Ostapenko in three sets at the Wuhan Open on Wednesday in the American’s first match in more than a month.
Ostapenko won 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-3 in an unlikely last-32 comeback that included saving match points on three occasions in the second set against the second-seeded Pegula, who hadn’t played since losing in the U.S. Open semifinals.
Pegula, a finalist in Wuhan last year, took an extended break — missing events in Singapore and Beijing — because of the physical toll of her busy schedule over the summer.
Iga Swiatek had a much easier time of it, advancing to the round of 16 with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Magdalena Frech.
The six-time major winner started slowly against her Polish compatriot, dropping an early service game and falling behind 2-0 before winning six straight games to take the first set. She continued momentum by winning four straight games to start the second set.
Swiatek is seeded No. 7 in the WTA’s 1,000-level event. She reached the quarterfinals of the recent China Open in Beijing.
Swiatek next faces either Ashlyn Krueger or Lanlana Tararudee. She’s in the same quarter as top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who was facing Ann Li later Wednesday in a match to reach the final 16.
In other second-round matches, No. 5 Elina Svitolina had a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over Liudmila Samsonova and No. 170-ranked Sonay Kartal upset No. 9-seed Belinda Bencic 6-0, 7-5. Sixth-seeded Karolina Muchova beat Caty McNally 3-6, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (4) and next faces Diana Shnaider.
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This post was last modified on 10/14/2026 6:46 am