Aryna Sabalenka crashed out of the Wuhan Open in the second round on Wednesday, losing 3-6 6-4 7-6(5) to unseeded Ann Li. The defeat means the world No 2 has now lost back-to-back matches for the first time since February 2025.
Sabalenka saved nine match points but could not save a 10th. It marked the biggest win of Li's career, with the American fighting back from 4-2 down in the second set to force a decider.
Sabalenka, a three-time Wuhan champion, fell 4-1 down in the final set and took a medical timeout but fought back, saving five match points en route to holding serve for 5-3. Her error-strewn performance, with 44 unforced errors compared to Li's 28, proved the difference as world No 31 Li held her nerve to clinch victory after two and a half hours.
It has been a disappointing season for four-time grand slam champion Sabalenka. She has not won a title since claiming the 'Sunshine Double' at Indian Wells and Miami in March, losing the US Open final and the world No 1 ranking to Elena Rybakina last month, and failed to win a major this year for the first time since 2022.
Her exit in Wuhan followed a surprise defeat to Czech rising star Nikola Bartunkova at the China Open last week. Earlier on Wednesday, second seed and last year's runner-up Jessica Pegula also suffered an early exit in her first match in over a month, falling 2-6 7-6(7) 6-3 to former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. Pegula squandered three match points as Ostapenko fought back in the second set to force a decider.