Gauff double faults her way out of Wuhan as Sabalenka makes the final

21 double faults were committed by fourth seed Coco Gauff, the most in a main-draw match this season, which resulted in her squandering a one-set lead and allowing top seed Aryna Sabalenka to advance to the Wuhan Open final. Sabalenka’s dominance in the Chinese city continues with a 16-match winning streak at the WTA 1000 event, remaining undefeated at the tournament she has won twice before.

Initially dominating, Gauff won the first set 6-1 and led 4-2 in the second set before her serve started to fail. Only three double faults were committed in the opening set by Gauff, but she made 18 more in the following sets, allowing Sabalenka to seize control of the match. Sabalenka took advantage of Gauff’s struggles, winning four consecutive games to secure the second set 6-4. In the final set, Sabalenka quickly took a 3-0 lead, but Gauff managed to level at 4-4 before ultimately double faulting on match point, giving Sabalenka the 1-6 6-4 6-4 victory.

Two-time defending champion Sabalenka has once again made it to the Wuhan final, where she will face Chinese fifth seed Zheng Qinwen, who defeated No. 51 Wang Xinyu 6-3 6-4 in the semifinals. Sabalenka, who has already claimed three titles this season, will be gunning for her fourth crown of the year.

Sabalenka currently leads 3-0 in head-to-head matchups against Zheng, with all three meetings occurring at Grand Slams. Notably, Sabalenka secured straight-set victories in two of those encounters during her Grand Slam title-winning runs this year at both the Australian Open and the US Open.