Maja Chwalinska beat Maria Sakkari 6–0, 3–6, 7–5 in Wuhan’s October 16 quarterfinal. The first eleven games of the decider went with serve; Chwalinska broke in the final return game to end a two-hour, 35-minute contest.
Chwalinska saved four of five break points overall. Sakkari had to save eleven of fifteen, including the first five she faced in the deciding set. Chwalinska kept holding after missed chances and returned to apply pressure again.
Sakkari recovered from fourteen first-set unforced errors with seventeen winners and eight errors in the second. WTA noted that Chwalinska used a drop-shot-and-lob combination four times during a five-game stretch of the decider, winning each point.
It was Chwalinska’s first tour-level semifinal on outdoor hard courts. Her next opponent was childhood doubles partner Iga Swiatek.
