Xinhua/Hu Jingwen – Photo by Icon Sport

Aryna Sabalenka vs Yulia Putintseva: WTA Wuhan – round of 16

Aryna Sabalenka will take on Yulia Putintseva in the round of 16 of the WTA Wuhan.

Aryna Sabalenka Profile

Aryna Sabalenka is currently second in the WTA rankings. The player from Belarus is 50-12 for the season and 34-7 on hard surface.

Sabalenka is coming off a 6-4, 6-4 win over Katerina Siniakova in the second round of the tournament.

Last week, Sabalenka lost to Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinal on Beijing.

She won three titles this season, the Slams in Australia and USA and WTA Cincinnati.

Sabalenka won the title in Wuhan in 2018 and 2019 and this is her first appearance since than.

Yulia Putintseva Profile

Yulia Putintseva is 35th in the WTA rankings and her career high was No. 27. The Kazak is 37-20 for the season and 20-13 on hard surface.

Putintseva is coming off a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win over Donna Vekic in the second round after beating Shuai Zhnag in the opening one.

Putintseva won the title in Birmingham this season.

This is her fifth appearance in Wuhan and the first time she has moved past the second round.

Head-to-Head Putintseva leads 1-0

• Putintseva vs Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6 (2019 US Open, second round)

Prediction and Conclusion

Aryna Sabalenka has had an excellent season, winning two Grand Slams, and she is getting closer to the No. 1 spot in the rankings. She has a perfect record in Wuhan, as she has never lost a match here in her third appearance. Today, Sabalenka will go against Yulia Putintseva, whom she meets for the first time in five years. The player from Kazakhstan has a solid season and may be a tough competitor, but Sabalenka will take care of business in straight sets and advance to the quarterfinals.