Wuhan, October 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Iga Swiatek registered her 40th victory of the season, while Elina Svitolina battled through a three-set contest against Liudmila Samsonova to advance to the third round of the Wuhan Open on Wednesday. Both players remain in contention for qualification for the season-ending WTA Finals as they look to strengthen their positions in the closing stages of the season.
Seventh seed Swiatek defeated fellow Pole Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-1 in a match reported to have lasted one hour and 43 minutes. The victory also marked her 149th career win at WTA 1000 events, taking her past Serena Williams’ tally of 148 and placing her seventh outright on the all-time list since the format was introduced in 2009.
“I’m happy to get the first match on the centre court because I didn’t get a chance to play there before,” Swiatek said, according to ATP. “At the beginning of the match, it was point by point, but then I was happy that I started making less mistakes and I used my chances till the end of the match. For sure it was tougher than the score.”
The Polish star has now recorded at least 40 wins in five consecutive seasons, although she acknowledged that maintaining consistency in 2026 has proved particularly challenging.
“I mean every year has been so much different that there’s no like recipe or solution,” Swiatek said. “I’m happy that even though every year was different and presented different challenges, I’m able to be consistent and for sure this one has been toughest, so still getting every win means a lot and you know I’ll try to have as many as possible obviously.”
Reflecting on the lessons from a difficult campaign, Swiatek said the season had taught her that success would require greater resilience and an appreciation of progress beyond match results.
“Probably the biggest lesson will be that nothing will come easy because you know it kind of has been pretty up in my career going like always forward a little bit,” she said. “When I had some bad periods, I suddenly won something and I felt great. This year it’s been a bit tougher. I think I will learn to have more grit and to find also little successes, not only be happy with the results, but also with the process and everything.”
Swiatek will next face either Ashlyn Krueger or Lanlana Tararudee in the third round.
Meanwhile, fifth seed Svitolina overcame Russia’s Samsonova 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 to book her place in the next round. After taking the opening set, the Ukrainian surrendered her advantage in the second, with Samsonova saving two match points to force a decider. Svitolina regrouped in the final set to secure the victory and extend her head-to-head record against Samsonova to 2-0.
“It was a good match for me,” Svitolina said in her on-court interview. “I felt like I was playing good and then she came back in the second set and I had to really step up my game in the third. I’m very happy with the way I could stay mentally tough and continue fighting.”
She added that finding the right opportunities to attack while maintaining focus had been crucial to her victory.
“I think (the key was) a little bit of everything. Finding the shots and finding the right ball to attack. I think this was really important and really stay focused and find your
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