Jessica Pegula's bid to defend last year's Wuhan Open run ended in the second round Wednesday, after Jeļena Ostapenko rallied from a set down to score a 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-3 WTA win over the No. 2 seed.
Pegula Lets Lead Slip in Wuhan
Pegula controlled the opener 6-2 and looked ready to close out the match after building a 6-4 lead in the second-set tiebreak. But Ostapenko fought off three match points, took the last three of the tiebreak, and leveled the match.
That second-set escape carried Ostapenko through the third. The former Roland Garros champion broke Pegula's serve early and pulled ahead 3-1, eventually closing out the match in just over two hours. She outpaced Pegula 46 winners to 15 and converted five of seven break points to score her 27th career WTA Top 10 victory.
"I honestly don't know how I managed to win the second set," Ostapenko said. "I was fighting for every single point."
She revealed she played through right forearm pain, taking a painkiller during a medical timeout.
The upset adds to a volatile stretch of WTA scores at the Wuhan Open, where several seeds have stumbled during the Asian swing. For Ostapenko, it marks her third top 10 win of 2026 as she advances to the Round of 16.
