Aryna Sabalenka overcame a rusty start in Wuhan by battling back to beat Rebecca Sramkova in her first appearance since winning the US Open.
The world number one won her first Grand Slam trophy of the year in New York, retaining her title by beating Amanda Anisimova in the final.
But in her first match in more than a month, Sabalenka’s game was initially riddled with errors and she struggled with the power of Slovakia’s Sramkova, ranked 68th in the world.
However, after losing the first set, she settled into her game in the second set before moving on in the third to claim a 4-6 6-3 6-1 victory.
“I knew it wouldn’t be easy after the break [following the US Open] to find my rhythm, but I’m happy that I found my game in the second set, I stepped in and played really well,” Sabalenka said.
“I have to say she played amazing tennis, especially in the first set and I couldn’t do much.”
Sabalenka is a three-time defending champion in Wuhan, having won in 2018 and 2019 and then again in 2024 after a three-year hiatus from the tournament due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
When asked how it felt to be nicknamed the “Girl from Wuhan,” Sabalenka replied, “I was first “Girl from China,” then “Queen of Fried Rice.” [a nickname she says is in honour of her love of the dish].
“And then I spoke to [China’s world number 10 Zheng] Qinwen and they actually call me “Tiger”. So many nicknames.
“I’ve won so many tournaments here and it feels like home. I hope I can go all the way.”
Having enjoyed a bye into the second round, Sabalenka cut a frustrated figure as she struggled with her serve, with a handful of double faults giving Sramkova an early break.
The Slovakian took on Sabalenka at her own game, beating the top seed with aggressive deep shots to the baseline and huge serves to win the opener 6-4.
But Sabalenka finally found some rhythm to strike first in the second set and she fended off several break points to open a 5-2 lead before forcing a deciding match.
With more momentum behind her, the four-time major champion took control in the third set, breaking twice and saving four more break points at 5-1 before securing victory with another break of serve.
Sabalenka will face Liudmila Samsonova after the Russian beat former Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin 3-6 6-3 6-1.
Earlier, Coco Gauff advanced to the third round with a 51-minute victory over Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima, who won just five points on the American third seed’s serve.
Sixth seed Jessica Pegula avoided a second-round upset, winning 6-4 4-6 7-6 (8-6) after converting her seventh match point in a grueling two-hour, 55-minute encounter with fellow American and world number 55 Hailey Baptiste.
Pegula will next face Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, while Gauff will face Shuai Zhang, the world number 142 who beat Romania’s Sorana Cirstea.
Japan’s four-time major winner Naomi Osaka lost 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 to Czech Linda Noskova, the world number 17 who continues her fine form in the Asian swing after reaching the final of the China Open earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the heat and humidity continued to cause problems for some players, with 12th seed Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic forced to retire while trailing 7-6 (7-1) 4-1 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech.
