Karolina Muchova works spell again to snap Aryna Sabalenka’s winning streak

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Aryna Sabalenka’s 15-match winning streak ended with a quarter-final loss to Karolina Muchova at the China Open in Beijing.

The US Open champion was bidding for a third straight tournament victory and led 4-2 in the deciding set but Czech Muchova fought back to win 7-6 (5) 2-6 6-4.

It was a third successive victory over Sabalenka for Muchova, who has been in impressive form since returning in June after more than 10 months out following wrist surgery.

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Sabalenka’s streak had started with a title at Cincinnati in August and continued with a run to the championship at the U.S. Open last month. She also won the Australian Open earlier in the year. She also had a previous career-best streak of 15 wins across the 2020-21 seasons.

Muchova will meet either Paris Olympics gold medalist Zheng Qinwen or Mirra Andreeva of Russia, who played later Friday, in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, world number one Iga Swiatek has announced she has split from her coach of three years Tomasz Wiktorowski.

Writing on Instagram, the Pole said: “After 3 years of the greatest achievements in my career, together with my coach Tomasz Wiktorowski we decided to part ways.”

Swiatek won four grand slam titles under the tutelage of Wiktorowski and established herself as the dominant force in women’s tennis but she has not lifted a trophy since the French Open in June.

She revealed she is in talks with a “non-Polish” coach and will miss next week’s Wuhan Open while she searches for a new mentor.

Swiatek is the third high-profile women’s player to change coach in a matter of weeks after Naomi Osaka, who split from Wim Fissette before starting work with Patrick Mouratoglou, and Coco Gauff, whose partnership with Brad Gilbert came to an end.