Yulia Putintseva beat Zeynep Sonmez 6–7(1), 6–3, 7–5 in Wuhan’s October 13, 2026 first round. WTA recorded 2 hours and 51 minutes. Putintseva managed only one point in the opening tiebreak but won the next two sets.
Their previous meeting was at January’s Australian Open, where Putintseva won 6–3, 6–7(3), 6–3 in 2 hours and 34 minutes. Wuhan lasted seventeen minutes longer; in both matches the player who lost the tiebreak set ultimately won.
The sequence differed: Putintseva won the opener in Melbourne, but needed consecutive sets after losing Wuhan’s first. The Wuhan decider also extended to 7–5. Victory put her into a second-round meeting with No. 11 seed Diana Shnaider.
