Aryna Sabalenka was dealt a shock defeat in her opening-round match at the Wuhan Open as she was beaten in three sets by Ann Li on Wednesday. 

Sabalenka, a three-time champion in Wuhan, was far from her best and was made to pay for an uncharacteristically error-strewn display as Li won 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5). 

Sabalenka appeared set to cruise into the next round after dominating the early parts of the first set, breaking Li in the fourth game before surging into a commanding 4-1 lead. 

And though Li was able to get the better of the top seed's serve, Sabalenka returned the favour in the next game to take the set, though the American came out firing in the second. 

Li recovered from 4-2 down and reeled off the final four games to ensure the match would go the distance, and she put herself in a strong position during the decider. 

Sabalenka struggled to match her opponent, who brought up five match points against the serve, but Li was unable to convert as the Belarusian kept herself in contention. 

Li went on to miss two more break points in the 10th game, with a tie-break needed to see who would advance, but Li would not let another shot at victory pass her by as she sealed her first victory over Sabalenka in four attempts.

THE BIGGEST WIN OF HER CAREER Ann Li defeats the No.1 seed in Wuhan! #dongfengvoyahwuhanopen https://t.co/UXmnwsiJDK

— wta (@WTA) October 14, 2026

Another player not in the next round is Jessica Pegula, after she was stunned in her opening-round clash by Jelena Ostapenko, who rode out a 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-3 winner.

Ostapenko advanced to the third round in Wuhan for the first time since reaching the semi-finals in 2017, though she could not quite put her finger on how she won the match. 

"Honestly, I don't even want to think about what I was thinking, because I think I was not thinking anything," Ostapenko said. "I was just in the moment.

"I think I play the best when I go by my instincts, with my feelings. I don't think you really have to think about what you are doing. Just be in the moment and play tennis."

Sabalenka stunned as Li lights up Wuhan

After suffering an early exit to Nikola Bartunkova in Beijing earlier this month, Sabalenka would have been hoping to bounce back at an event she has enjoyed success at over the years, but she suffered the same fate in Wuhan. 

Li's triumph saw her reach consecutive round of 16 matches at WTA 1000 events for the first time, while it was the fourth time she had reached this stage at such events throughout her career, with all of those coming this season. 

It was also her third career match win over a WTA top-10 opponent, following victories over Anett Kontaveit (Miami 2022) and Iga Swiatek (Madrid 2026), though this will surely rank as one of her most memorable.