Top 5 Photos, September 26: Riske dominant; Li Na delights Wuhan fans
The American gave a tenacious performance in dropping just four games against world No. 3 Elina Svitolina, while Aryna Sabalenka was victorious on both the singles and doubles court.
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In Wuhan, the singles field was cut from eight to four, while a Top 10 star abruptly ended his Zhuhai campaign. These are the Top 5 photos from Thursday's action.
1. Alison Riske dominated the court in her Wuhan quarterfinal clash with Elina Svitolina, dictating the court with her flat hitting from start to finish in posting a 6-1, 6-3 victory over the Ukrainian. This marked her first win over Svitolina in four meetings. The American will look to reach the final when she faces Petra Kvitova.
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2. Li Na broke new ground when she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI this past July. The 37-year-old became the first Asian player to achieve the feat. Earlier this week, Li was honored before the Wuhan event commenced, and on Thursday, she returned to her hometown event for a special on-court appearance.
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3. After splitting the first two sets, Stefanos Tsitsipas retired before beginning the final set against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. Tsitsipas struggled in the Zhuhai heat, calling the doctor to the court twice during the match. Tsitsipas would chose to stop the match after complaining of an issue with his lungs.
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4. Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka has her eyes on the prize again in Wuhan. The 21-year-old overcame wild card Elena Rybakina, 6-3, 1-6, 6-1, in the last eight. The world No. 14 will battle top-ranked Ashleigh Barty for the second consecutive year in the semifinals at the WTA Premier 5 event. Sabalenka defeated the Aussie, 7-6 (2), 6-4, a year ago in Wuhan.
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5. Sabalenka captured her second win of the day with partner Elise Mertens. The No. 2 seeds defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Caroline Garcia 7-5, 6-3. Fresh off claiming their first major title at the US Open, Sabalenka and Mertens are two wins away from clinching their fourth title of 2019.
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