A first meeting since the 2019 US Open, which Putintseva won in straight sets, the new champion looked condemned to another defeat. 

Putintseva reeled off six straight games to clinch the opener 6-1, hitting just three unforced errors compared to Sabalenka’s 14.

The Kazakh looked dead-set on adding the Belarusian to her impressive list of wins this summer after having defeated Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon and Coco Gauff in Cincinnati.

However, in what is a newer, more dangerous aspect of Sabalenka’s game, she gathered herself and fought back to overwhelm an increasingly frustrated Putintseva 6-0 in the third.

Aryna Sabalenka reveals how she managed to turn Wuhan Open match around

A Sabalenka of old may have lost this one as she was repeatedly pegged back by a typically difficult opponent.

However, with the remarkable gumption that’s carried her to two Grand Slams this year, Sabalenka kept her goal of the number one spot alive to move to 17 wins in her last 18.

“In the first set, seems like whatever she would do would play well for her,” Sabalenka told the WTA after her match. “I was struggling with strings. I was all over the place. I’m really glad that I was able to put myself together in the second set and things clicked.”

“In that game I was just trying to cool myself down and just to remind myself to keep trying, keep fighting,” Sabalenka said. “You have to work for it, you have to run, you have to play the point, build the point, find the right shot, then go for it, not rush things. I was just having that conversation in my head all the time.

“I guess it helped, that little cool-down, that little chat to myself. After that game I felt like something clicked. The return was better. The movement was better. The decisions I was making on court was much better. I felt like that was really turning point in the match.”

Still on the hunt for another title, Sabalenka’s composed finish to the match will only seek to energise her more.

Who does Aryna Sabalenka face next in Wuhan?

Sabalenka is gearing up to face Poland’s Magdalena Frech for a spot in the semi-finals on Friday against either Gauff of other-Polish-player-called-Magda, Magda Linette.

Frech advanced to her maiden WTA 1000 quarter-final after defeating ninth seed and Seoul champion Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3, 6-2.

The pair have never faced each other in their careers, however a resurgent Frech knows she has little to lose going into this next one.

At a career-high of 27, Frech has been magnificent this week, seeing off Emma Navarro in the earlier rounds.

While the powerful Belarusian certainly has the edge, Frech might take some confidence knowing how close she was pushed today by Putintseva.

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