On Friday morning, Polish fans were eagerly awaiting the big match between Magdalena Fręch and Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian was, of course, the favorite, but Fręch couldn’t be ruled out. In Wuhan, she had already proven she could cause an upset. Proof? She eliminated Emma Navarro, ranked 8th in the WTA, and Beatriz Haddad Maia, ranked 12th. "I’m starting to believe that Magdalena Fręch can defeat Aryna Sabalenka. Her form is outstanding!" - emphasized Łukasz Jachimiak from Sport.pl on X. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to pull it off in the quarterfinals. Sabalenka was on a completely different level.
Sabalenka comments on the match with Fręch. The Pole might be displeased with her opponent's behavior
In the first set, Sabalenka didn’t give our compatriot much of a chance. She broke her right from the start and repeated the feat in the third game. Although both players held their serves afterward, the situation was clearly working in Sabalenka’s favor. She won the set 6-2. The second set followed a similar pattern. While it was more balanced and intense, it ended with the same scoreline – 6-2. With this, the Belarusian advanced to the semifinals in Wuhan.
After the match, Sabalenka was visibly pleased to have avoided the troubles she faced in her encounter with Yulia Putintseva (1-6, 6-4, 6-0).
Yesterday’s match gave me something to think about. I had to start well from the beginning, and I’m very happy to have closed today's match in two sets
- Sabalenka emphasized.
Unexpectedly, Sabalenka mentioned her previous opponent but did not say Fręch’s name. In fact, on Thursday, she didn’t even realize she might face the Polish player. In a post-match interview after playing Putintseva, she confused Fręch with... Magda Linette, making quite a blunder, as we wrote more about HERE. "We’ll be 'grilling' Aryna Sabalenka for not even knowing who she might play against", said one of the Canal+Sport commentators. Sabalenka didn’t shine during Thursday’s interview, and the same happened on Friday.
Soon after, Sabalenka shifted the conversation to Coco Gauff, whom she’ll face in the semifinals. "She’s playing really good tennis. We’ve played many matches in the past, and there have been a lot of great battles. I’m really looking forward to this match. I’m excited," the Belarusian added. Indeed, the two players have met seven times before, with Gauff having the better record, winning four out of those seven encounters.
I have the same expectations. But I want to focus on myself. I want to play my best tennis, fight for every point, and get closer to my goal of winning this beautiful trophy
- Sabalenka concluded.
The match between Sabalenka and Gauff will take place on Saturday, October 12th, starting around 10:00 AM Polish time. This means there are no more Polish players left in the Wuhan tournament. On Friday, Magda Linette also lost, falling to Gauff 0-6, 4-6.
