Wuhan, October 13 (Daily Kiran) : In an exciting match at the Wuhan Open WTA tennis tournament on October 13, wild card entry Guo Hanyu from China achieved a remarkable victory over Romania’s 12th seed, Sorana Cirstea. Meanwhile, Asian Games champion Wang Yiyu faced a tough defeat against Wimbledon junior champion Mia Pohankova.
Guo, a Wimbledon doubles champion, triumphed with a score of 1-6, 7-6(6), 7-5, securing her spot in the second round. This win marked her first against a top-20 player and her inaugural victory in the main draw at Wuhan. “It was a very tough match. To be honest, I never thought I would win until the match was over. After losing the first set 1-6, I just wanted to stay on the court a little longer and enjoy playing on center court. I didn’t expect my game to improve so much. Even when facing match points, I told myself not to give up easily and to keep trying. I maintained that mindset, and I’m very happy that I won in the end,” Guo said.
According to Xinhua, Guo will next face American Katie Volynets, currently ranked 88th in the world. In contrast, Wang had a challenging match against 17-year-old Pohankova. After losing the first set, Wang attempted a comeback from a 0-3 deficit. Both players held their serves, leading to a tiebreak where Pohankova won 7-2 to take the first set.
The second set also showcased a fierce battle, with the score tied at 6-6. Wang, trailing 2-5 in the tiebreak, made a stunning comeback to win 9-7, leveling the match. In the decisive third set, Pohankova displayed exceptional skill, breaking Wang’s serve twice and establishing a significant 5-1 lead. She converted her first match point on her serve, winning the match after 2 hours and 55 minutes.
On another note, Zhang Shuai struggled during her match, appearing unwell, which affected her performance. American player Ashlyn Krueger took advantage, winning decisively 6-3, 6-0. Zhang expressed her disappointment, stating, “It’s unfortunate that my singles journey in Wuhan ends this way. Honestly, I was completely exhausted today. I couldn’t have done better. I regret not being able to perform well due to my condition, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to play in front of you, so I tried my best to finish the match.”
Zhang also expressed gratitude to the local fans, saying, “I am very grateful for your love for tennis. The passion of the people in Wuhan has created history in Chinese tennis. From Li Ting’s women’s doubles gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics to Grand Slam champion Li Na and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, all hail from Hubei. It’s your love for the sport that has made tennis so strong in Hubei.”
In other matches, Ukraine’s Daria Snigur stunned 14th seed Elise Mertens with a score of 6-4, 7-5. Greece’s Maria Sakkari made a comeback to defeat 8th seed Marta Kostyuk 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. American Ann Li advanced to the next round as Colombia’s Camila Osorio retired while trailing 6-1, 3-0.
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