NINE MATCH POINTS WASTED, SABALENKA STILL FIGHTING! ANN LI NEARLY LOST HER MIND BEFORE PULLING OFF THE BIGGEST VICTORY OF HER CAREER IN WUHAN! Ann Li was on the verge of defeating Aryna Sabalenka when her dream victory began slipping through her fingers. Nine chances to finish the match came and went, turning what looked like a remarkable upset into an agonizing test of nerves. The American eventually secured victory on her tenth match point, ending an extraordinary battle against the tournament’s top seed. But her emotional admission afterward revealed just how close the pressure had pushed her to the breaking point.

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‘I was about to crash out’: Li converts 10th match point to upset Sabalenka in Wuhan

Ann Li, Wuhan 2026

Ann Li had to work for it, but she rallied from a set down and converted her 10th match point to upset No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka

3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in 2 hours and 27 minutes on Wednesday for the biggest win of her career.

It marked Li’s third career Top 10 win and second this season. It was also her career-best win by ranking and her first over Sabalenka in four WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz meetings. With the win, she advanced to the third round of a WTA 1000 event for the fourth consecutive time — a personal best — and reached that stage in Wuhan for the first time.

“I think on some of those match points I was about to lose my mind. I was about to crash out,” Li said in her post-match press conference. “In the end, you just have to realize — I didn’t even play that bad. I didn’t play bad. She just played really well. So you have to play point by point. And I knew that if I stayed there, I could get into that situation again, which is all you can ask for.”


Li dropped the opening set after Sabalenka won eight straight points to close it out and soon found herself down a break at 4-2 in the second. But she responded by winning nine of the next 11 games, forcing a decider and building a commanding 5-2 lead in the third.

What followed was a determined effort from Sabalenka, who received a visit from the physio midway through the final set to reapply tape to her right leg. She saved five match points to hold for 5-3, then erased two more at 5-4 with a forehand winner and a backhand winner to level at 5-5. A love hold two games later sent the match into a deciding tiebreak.

There, Sabalenka fought off two more match points, including one with a remarkable forehand that just caught the corner. But Li finally sealed the victory with a forehand winner on her 10th match point.

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What it means

Li’s victory over the three-time champion and four-time semifinalist means Sabalenka will fail to reach the last four in Wuhan for the first time. Instead, the American moves on to face Janice Tjen in the Round of 16. It will be their first career meeting.

“I think we’ve practiced a few times,” Li said. “She’s a great player. She likes to [use] variety as well, so it should be a really fun match. Physical wise, I feel pretty good.”

Both players will be aiming to reach their first WTA 1000 quarterfinal. Li has lost all three of her previous WTA 1000 Round of 16 appearances, though she has won eight of her past nine matches against lower-ranked opponents.