Canada’s Bianca Andreescu and China’s Yue Yuan progressed to the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles event at the Wuhan Open on Thursday without having to play a match. The top-seeded Italians Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani withdrew before their scheduled match, granting Andreescu and Yuan a walkover victory. Paolini later advanced to the singles quarterfinals after her opponent, Denmark’s Clara Tauson, retired while trailing 3-6, 6-1, 3-1.
Mississauga’s Bianca Andreescu and Yue Yuan will now face the No. 8 seeds, Anna Danilina from Kazakhstan and Aleksandra Krunic from Serbia, in the upcoming match. Meanwhile, Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Quebec, and her partner Erin Routliffe from New Zealand were eliminated in the round of 16 after a close match against Linda Noskova from the Czech Republic and Rebecca Sramkova from Slovakia.
In other matches, U.S. Open champion Aryna Sabalenka continued her winning streak at the Wuhan Open by defeating Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-2 to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000-level tournament. Sabalenka, the top-ranked player, has now won 19 consecutive matches, including previous titles at Wuhan in 2018, 2019, and 2024.
Second-ranked Iga Swiatek also advanced to the next round by defeating former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic 7-6 (2), 6-4. Swiatek, with a 5-1 career record against Bencic, including a victory in the Wimbledon semifinals, will face Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals.
Coco Gauff, ranked third, had a comfortable win over Zhang Shuai with a score of 6-3, 6-2. Sabalenka is set to play against eighth-seeded Elena Rybakina, while Swiatek will face Paolini and Gauff will match up against Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals.
Jessica Pegula also secured her spot in the final eight by defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 after a tough battle. Pegula, the sixth seed, showed resilience by winning four of the last five games in the deciding set, extending her streak of successful three-set matches.
This latest update follows an eventful day at the Wuhan Open, with several top players demonstrating their skills and determination on the court.
