Aryna Sabalenka celebrates a point in the second set of the women’s championship match of the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. Aryna Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5, for the championship.

tennis

WTA Wuhan Open 2025 Semifinal Schedule – Who Faces Whom in the Final Four?

Will the Queen of Wuhan Be Dethroned?

The 2025 WTA Wuhan Open is reaching the climax stage, as four women remain in the draw. Some of the best players on the women’s circuit will fight it out for the 1000-level title on Chinese soil over the weekend. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is the defending champion, and remains a strong favorite to retain her crown. However, she will face stiff opposition from three of the best in the business – who will compete until their last breath to get their hands on the trophy. Who will come out on top?

Let’s take a look at the match-ups in the Wuhan semifinals on Saturday:

Coco Gauff (3) vs. Jasmine Paolini (7)

12 – Since 1990, only Martina Hingis (33) and Maria Sharapova (15) have reached more Tier 1/WTA-1000 semi-finals before turning 22 than Coco Gauff (12, surpassing the Williams sisters). Phenomenal.#WuhanOpen | @wuhanopentennis @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/5xaIsUEDmI
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) October 10, 2025

Having both dropped merely three games in their quarterfinal encounters, Coco Gauff and Jasmine Paolini will kick-start proceedings. The No. 3 seed defeated Laura Siegemund of Germany 6-3 6-0 to enter the final four. Consequently, Paolini ended the day with a massive 6-1 6-2 upset win over World No. 2 Iga Swiatek on Center Court.

Interestingly, the American came into the current season with an unbeaten 2-0 record against her Italian counterpart. However, the 29-year-old has picked up three wins over Gauff in 2025, improving the head-to-head record to 3-2. Paolini has beaten her at Stuttgart, Rome and Cincinnati. However, Gauff is yet to drop a set all week in Wuhan – making this a mouth-watering watch.

When: Saturday, 11 October 2025
Where: Optics Valley International Tennis Center
Court: Center Court
Timing: Not Before 05:00 PM Local (10:00 AM UK)

Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Jessica Pegula (6)

The three time champ stays perfect 🏆

Aryna Sabalenka reaches the semifinal with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Elena Rybakina 🎯 #WuhanOpen pic.twitter.com/IdG7QRXag4
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) October 10, 2025

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka will take on long-time rival Jessica Pegula in the second semifinal. The 27-year-old Belarusian has never been defeated in Wuhan since making her debut during the 2018 season. She has a flawless 20-0 record in the competition – including a win over home favorite Zheng Qinwen in last year’s summit clash. On the other hand, Pegula is on a run of seven straight three-set duels – winning six of these since Beijing.

When it comes to the head-to-head between these two women, Sabalenka has an outright 8-2 lead over her American counterpart. In 2025, they clashed in the Madrid Open final as well as the US Open semifinal. It was the four-time Grand Slam champion who had Pegula’s number on both occasions. Nonetheless, the Wuhan semifinal presents new opportunities for the 31-year-old to stamp her authority.

When: Saturday, 11 October 2025
Where: Optics Valley International Tennis Center
Court: Center Court
Timing: Not Before 06:30 PM Local (11:30 AM UK)

(Image Credits: Sam Greene, Imagn Images)

Aryna Sabalenka

Coco Gauff

Jasmine Paolini

Jessica Pegula

Tennis

WTA

WTA 1000

Wuhan Open 2025

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.