Wuhan: Iga Swiatek recorded her 40th win of the season, while Elina Svitolina survived a three-set contest against Liudmila Samsonova to reach the third round of the Wuhan Open on Wednesday.
Both players remain in contention to qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals.
The seventh-seeded Swiatek defeated compatriot Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-1 in 1 hour and 43 minutes, registering her 149th career victory at WTA 1000 events. She moved past Serena Williams’ tally of 148 to claim seventh place outright on the all-time list since the format’s introduction in 2009.
“I’m happy to get the first match on the centre court because I didn’t get a chance to play there before,” Swiatek was quoted as saying by the ATP. “At the beginning of the match, it was point by point, but then I was happy that I started making fewer mistakes and I used my chances till the end of the match. For sure, it was tougher than the score.”
The Pole has now recorded at least 40 wins in five consecutive seasons, although she admitted that maintaining consistency in 2026 has been particularly challenging.
“I mean, every year has been so much different that there’s no, like, recipe or solution,” Swiatek said. “I’m happy that even though every year was different and presented different challenges, I’m able to be consistent. And for sure, this one has been the toughest, so still getting every win means a lot. And, you know, I’ll try to have as many as possible, obviously.”
Reflecting on the lessons from her difficult campaign, she added: “Probably the biggest lesson will be that nothing will come easy because, you know, it kind of has been pretty up in my career, going always forward a little bit. When I had some bad periods, I suddenly won something and I felt great. This year, it’s been a bit tougher. I think I will learn to have more grit and to find also little successes, not only be happy with the results, but also with the process and everything.”
Swiatek will next face either Ashlyn Krueger or Lanlana Tararudee.
Meanwhile, fifth seed Svitolina defeated Samsonova 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 after surrendering her advantage in the second set. The Ukrainian had taken an early lead before Samsonova saved two match points and forced a decider. Svitolina regrouped to seal the win and extend her head-to-head advantage over the Russian to 2-0.
“It was a good match for me,” Svitolina said in her on-court interview. “I felt like I was playing well, and then she came back in the second set and I had to really step up my game in the third. I’m very happy with the way I could stay mentally tough and continue fighting. I think [the key was] a little bit of everything – finding the shots and finding the right ball to attack. I think this was really important, and really staying focused and finding your way to win.”
Svitolina will face either Katie Volynets or Hanyu Guo in the third round. She currently sits sixth in the Race to the WTA Finals standings, while Swiatek is 10th, with both seeking strong finishes to improve their qualification prospects.