Kazakhstan's Putintseva advances to next round at 2026 Wuhan Open
Kazakhstani tennis player Yulia Putintseva (world No. 79) has won her third straight match at the Wuhan Open, a WTA 1000 tournament in China, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Putintseva began her way in qualifying, where she beat two higher-ranked opponents. She first defeated Romania's Elena-Gabriela Ruse (world No. 62), then routed American Ashlyn Krueger (No. 73) 6-1, 6-3 in the final qualifying round.
The standout match of the main draw's opening round was Yulia Putintseva's clash with Türkiye's top player, Zeynep Sönmez (No. 59). The contest turned into a three-hour marathon. After losing the first set in a tiebreak, the Kazakhstani showed her trademark grit. She completely turned the match around and ground out a comeback win. The final score was 6-7 (1-7), 6-3, 7-5.
The match lasted 2 hours and 54 minutes. Over that time, Putintseva converted seven of 16 break points.
The win sent Yulia Putintseva through to the round of 32. A tough test awaits her in the next round against world No. 13 Diana Shnaider.
As Kazakhstan's top player Elena Rybakina (world No. 1) sits out the Asian swing with an injury, Yulia Putintseva remains Kazakh fans' main hope in the singles draw in Wuhan.
Earlier, Alexander Bublik, world No. 22, exited the Shanghai Masters in the round of 16.