ARYNA SABALENKA BATTLES BACK FOR FIRST WIN SINCE US
Aryna Sabalenka battled back from a set down to beat Rebecca Sramkova at the Wuhan Open, extending her perfect record to 18-0. The defending champion aims for her fourth straight title in Wuhan.
In her first match since winning the US Open, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka defeated Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 after trailing by one set.
She has a perfect 18-0 win-loss record in Wuhan, where Sabalenka is vying for her fourth straight title.
It was against serve in the first three games. Sramkova took a 3-1 lead in the fourth set after consolidating her second break in the third game with a hold. After 35 minutes, Sramkova won the first set 6-4 by holding on to her service games.
Sabalenka opened up a 5-2 lead in the seventh game after fending off five break points and then broke serve in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. With a hold at 15, the world number one served out the second set.
Before completing the victory with another break of serve on her second match chance, Sabalenka saved four break points at 5-1 and broke twice in the first and fifth games.
Liudmila Samsonova, who defeated former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 after trailing by one set, will be Sabalenka's opponent.
The sixth seed, Hailey Baptiste, was defeated by Jessica Pegula 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6) after she converted her seventh match point.
Jasmine Paolini won her 39th WTA main draw match after rallying from a one-set deficit to defeat Yue Yuan 3-6 6-4 6-3. Clara Tauson will be Paolini's opponent. In their lone prior head-to-head encounter, the Italian player is ahead 1-0. Since the format's inception in 2009, Paolini has become the fourth Italian player to earn 40 or more WTA 1000 hard-court main draw victories.
To advance to the round of 16, Elena Rybakina defeated Jaqueline Adina Cristian of Romania 6-4, 6-3.
Rybakina and Paolini both increased their prospects of making it to the Riyadh WTA Finals.
After making it to the China Open final, Rybakina will take on Linda Noskova, who defeated Naomi Osaka 7-6 (7-2, 6-3), to continue her strong Asian Swing form. Rybakina currently has a 2-0 record against Noskova after defeating her in the Brisbane semifinals (6-3, 6-2) in 2024 and at Roland Garros (6-3, 6-3) in 2023.
In 51 minutes, Coco Gauff easily defeated Moyuka Uchijima 6-1, 6-1.
Seed number twelve, Karolina Muchova, had to leave the game when she was behind Magdalena Frech 7-6 (7-1) 6-1.
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
