Rybakina dominates Noskova in Wuhan: a showdown with Sabalenka awaits in the quarterfinals
The favorites held their ground in this start of the round of 16 at the WTA 1000 in Wuhan. Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, and Jasmine Paolini all managed to advance to the quarterfinals.
Another interesting matchup of the day was Elena Rybakina versus Linda Noskova. The Czech player had just competed in the final of the WTA 1000 in Beijing and arrived with confidence, even though she had to dig deep physically in the first round against Yulia Putintseva (6-4, 4-6, 7-6) before confirming her form against Naomi Osaka (7-6, 6-3).
This time, the challenge was too great against Elena Rybakina, whom she had never beaten in their two previous encounters. The 20-year-old player has never managed to win a set against the Kazakh. The trend continued in this match. The world number 9, who had eliminated Jaqueline Cristian (6-4, 6-3) in her previous round, controlled the match from start to finish.
Never troubled on her serve, as she did not concede a single break point, the 26-year-old Rybakina logically won in two sets (6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour and 26 minutes) and advanced to the quarterfinals. However, to secure a spot in the semifinals, she will have to overcome Aryna Sabalenka.
This will be the 13th meeting between the two players. So far, Sabalenka leads with 7 wins to 5. However, it was Rybakina who won their most recent encounter, in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati (6-1, 6-4).
Wuhan 
