Iga Swiatek kept her push to qualify for the WTA Finals alive, grinding out a 6-1, 6-4 win over American Ashlyn Krueger on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Wuhan Open. Swiatek also benefited from a loss by Karolina Muchova.
Krueger, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser after losing in qualifying, pressed Swiatek for parts of the second set. She committed 44 unforced errors to the Polish player’s 27.
Swiatek Eyes Race Spot
Swiatek will face another American in the quarterfinals. Ann Li eliminated Indonesia’s Janice Tjen 6-1, 7-6 (1) later on Thursday.
A title in Wuhan would let Swiatek apply pressure to Muchova in the Race to the WTA Finals rankings before the season-ending event next month in Indian Wells, California. Swiatek, who has reached the final every year since 2021, is currently 10th in the Race, and only the top eight qualify.
Other Quarterfinal Matchups Set
Wimbledon finalist and sixth-seeded Muchova lost 7-5, 6-3 to 11th-seeded Diana Shnaider. Shnaider next plays former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina broke the serve of Chinese wild-card entry Guo Hanyu in the opening and final games, winning 6-1, 6-4. Guo was coming off a breakout run that included her first career win over a top-20 player, a first-round victory over Sorana Cirstea, despite being ranked 240th. Svitolina, who lost in the quarterfinals of the China Open last week to eventual champion Zheng Qinwen, will play Sonay Kartal. The British player stunned Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-0 in barely an hour.
Tenth-seeded young American Iva Jovic was upset 6-4, 6-1 by Maja Chwalinska.
Top Seeds Exit Early
On Wednesday, top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka and second-seeded Jessica Pegula lost their second-round matches. The defeat was Sabalenka’s second straight loss. She had been beaten by Nikola Bartunkova in the third round at the China Open last week, and she had received a bye in the opening round in Wuhan.