WUHAN, China (AP) — Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka overcame an early scare to beat unseeded Rebecca Sramkova 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 at the Wuhan Open on Wednesday.
The defending champion has had an amazing run in Wuhan — her record is 18-0 while winning titles in 2018, 2019 and 2024.
The U.S. Open champion Sabalenka broke her 68th-ranked opponent in the opening game of the final set and went on before converting her second match point to win in almost two hours.
“I knew that after that little break … it will be not that easy to get back in my rhythm,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. “I′m really gland the in the second set I found my game and stepped in and I think I played really great.”
Sabalenka started her rally by breaking her 68th-ranked opponent in fourth game of the second set and jumped to a 4-1 lead. She saved four break points in the seventh game.
She faces next No. 16 seed Liudmila Samsonova who rallied to beat 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Sramkova broke Sabalenka twice in the opening set.
Sabalenka, who took a Greek holiday after her second consecutive win at Flushing Meadows, withdrew from last week’s China Open, another WTA 1000-level event.
Jessica Pegula was twice broken while serving for the match in the third set but recovered to edge Hailey Baptiste in a tight tiebreaker and advance.
Sixth-seeded Pegula beat her fellow American 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (6) on her seventh match point to reach the third round.
Pegula, who lost in the China Open semifinals last week, will next play ninth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova, who beat American Ann Li 7-6 (5), 6-2.
No. 3 Coco Gauff, coming off a semifinal loss to eventual champion Amanda Anisimova at the China Open last week, breezed into the next round with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Moyuka Uchijima in 51 minutes.
Also, qualifier Kateřina Siniaková beat Maya Joint 6-3, 6-1.
Eleventh-seeded Naomi Osaka was upset by unseeded Linda Noskova 7-6 (2), 6-3. The 20-year-old inform Czech was defeated by Amanda Anisimova in the final of the China Open on Sunday.
Noskova, ranked 17th, will next face either Jaqueline Cristian or Elena Rybakina.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Coco Gauff of the United States returns a shot from compatriot Amanda Anisimova in a women's singles semifinal match of the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, China, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025.(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Jessica Pegula, of the United States returns a backhand shot from Linda Noskova, of the Czech Republic during the women's singles semifinals match of the China Open tennis tournament, at the National Tennis Center, in Beijing, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings haven't wavered in their support of J.J. McCarthy, continuing to exude optimism about his potential when publicly discussing their developing quarterback.
What they haven't done is commit to him as their starter for next season. They're certain to add a veteran to the mix, either in free agency or a trade.
“I want the Vikings to achieve our goals, and I think one of those goals is to make playoff runs,” general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “I think he has the character and ability to be the person and do that for our organization.”
Adofo-Mensah, speaking at his season-ending news conference at team headquarters on Tuesday, reiterated the NFL axiom that effective roster-building relies on flexibility and not predetermination.
“The way we’ve set this team up, we built this corridor like we’ve always talked about to give ourselves multiple shots at it,” Adofo-Mensah said. “Because you never know when there’s going to be a year where the field feels a little bit wide open and you can make that run.”
That could have been the case this season, had the Vikings decided to leave McCarthy in developmental mode and give Sam Darnold a big new contract, or at least use the franchise tag to keep him instead of watching him move to Seattle and lead the team that landed the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. The Vikings also made a strong push to re-sign Daniel Jones, who saw a more realistic scenario with Indianapolis for him to start, which turned out to be the right choice.
There's no benefit to indulging in regret or dwelling in the past, so the Vikings weren't about to do that after their 9-8 record despite McCarthy's rocky debut left them a half-game out of the playoffs.
But they're also fully aware of how much the injuries — on top of an offense at Michigan that didn't pass nearly as often as the programs that produced the other quarterback prospects in the rich 2024 draft — have set him back on the learning curve.
“It’s about having the most talented and deep quarterback room you can," coach Kevin O'Connell said. “J.J., I was really encouraged by the type of football he started to play toward the second half of the season and finishing the way he did. ... But we’re still looking at a quarterback who’s started 10 games — 10 out of a possible 34 in two years. Not the ideal path for a young quarterback to develop on the field."
That's, of course, why the Vikings need more options. Though Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell each had their contract extended a year ago, the duo that arrived in 2022 has yet to produce a win in the playoffs. So the urgency to win — and develop McCarthy — has only been heightened.
“I definitely want a competitive situation in that room, because I ultimately think that’s what will make not only the starter, but the next guy and the next guy,” O'Connell said. “We've learned we’ve got to get a lot of guys ready to play, and we’ve got to do it with a responsibility of being the best version of our offense, and the quarterback has a huge role in helping us do that.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell runs onto the field before an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy watches from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
