By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Photo credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty
Nine match points—and a 5-2 third-set lead—slipped from Ann Li’s grip as Aryna Sabalenka rallied into a tie break.
On this night, Li was in no mood for moral victories.
A resolute Li ripped one final forehand down the line shocking Sabalenka in Wuhan.
World No. 31 Li converted her 10th match point subduing the top-seeded Sabalenka 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) to score her biggest win, by ranking, and reach the Wuhan Open round of 16.
“It was a crazy match,” Li said in her on-court interview. “I didn’t start out as well as I would like.
“I had a lot of match points. I missed some opportunities, but she also played well in some of those. I just tried to play each point and stay aggressive.”
Four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka, who lost her US Open crown and No. 1 ranking to Elena Rybakina at the Flushing Meadows major, suffered her second straight loss to an opponent ranked outside of the Top 25. World No. 26 Nikola Bartunkova toppled Sabalenka 6-4, 6-3 at the China Open in Beijing earlier this month.
Versatility and resilience fueled Li’s upset win tonight.
This was one wild thrill ride that saw Li shrug off a sub-part first set and eventually burst out to a 5-2 third-set lead. A stubborn Sabalenka saved five match points in a draining game to hold for 3-5. Sabalenka broke at 30 then saved two more match points holding to level the decider at 5-All.
Undaunted by those close calls, Li charged out to a 6-3 lead in the tie break. Though Sabalenka saved two more match points to close to 5-6, Li kept taking her cracks.
Dancing around her backhand, Li finished with a forehand strike to close in two hours, 27 minutes.
Li’s variety—she mixed low slice backhands with her heavier forehand strikes—proved unsettling for three-time Wuhan champion Sabalenka.
Though the two-time US Open champion never stopped fighting, Li’s aggression helped her close her third career Top 10 triumph.
It is Li’s second Top 10 win of the season. Six months ago, Li led Iga Swiatek 7-6(4), 2-6, 3-0 when the fourth-seeded Pole retired from their Mutua Madrid Open match after two hours, 10 minutes due to a stomach issue. Li scored her first career Top 10 win over Anett Kontaveit at the 2022 Miami Open.
Today, Li pumped eight aces, six more than Sabalenka, and played cleaner combinations at crunch time. Sabalenka sprayed 44 unforced errors, six more than Li.
Empowered by her run to the Beijing round of 16 earlier this month, Li will play Janice Tjen for a Wuhan quarterfinal spot. Li, whose parents emigrated from China to the United States, thrilled Wuhan fans speaking in Chinese during her on-court interview.
“I don’t want to expect anything,” Li said after the win. “I just want to go out on the court and play good tennis.
“Hopefully I can show good tennis start to finish.”
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