Guo Hanyu Reaches First WTA 1000 Last 16

On October 14, the 2026 Wuhan Open continued into its third main-draw day. In a women’s singles second-round match that finished tonight, China’s Guo Hanyu beat qualifier Katie Volynets 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3) to advance. She will next face fifth seed Elina Svitolina.

A Wimbledon women’s doubles champion, Guo entered Wuhan on a wildcard. In the first round, she produced a thrilling battle against 12th seed Sorana Cirstea: after losing the first set 1-6, she came from 0-4 down in the second to force a tiebreak, saved three match points from 3-6 down and won five straight points to take the set. In the decider, she again came from 3-5 down to win four games in a row, completing a 1-6, 7-6(6), 7-5 comeback. It was her first WTA 1000 main-draw win since Montreal 2025, and her first career win over a Top 20 player.

On October 14, Guo returned for the second round against qualifier Volynets. After a three-hour battle, she won 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3) to reach the next round — her first career two-match winning streak in a WTA main draw, and her first WTA 1000 round of 16.

In her post-match interview, Guo said the previous comeback gave her great confidence: “Yesterday’s win, first of all, I was on court for a long time, which helped a lot with my rhythm. And she was a Top 20 player. After winning, you feel anything is possible. Today was the same.”

In the third round, Guo will face fifth seed Svitolina, who beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.

Besides singles, Guo is also playing doubles with Kristina Mladenovic. They won their opening match in straight sets against Maia Lumsden/Alexandra Panova.

According to the official schedule, Guo will play twice tomorrow. Her match against Svitolina is second on Centre Court, while her doubles match with Mladenovic is fifth on Court C1.