Han Shi overturns Peyton Stearns 1-2 in Wuhan: 11 aces against 1

Eleven aces against one. That is the loudest gap in Wuhan's qualification opener, yet the decisive number is far smaller: Han Shi finished two points ahead of Peyton Stearns, 95-93, with the games locked at 15-15. The scoreboard read 1-2; almost everything else read even.

Stearns controlled the start. She took the first set 6-2, winning 16 of her 28 service points to Shi's 12 and 13 return points to 6, breaking twice while facing no break point. Shi saved only one of three on her own serve, and the set slipped away.

The second set inverted everything. Han Shi served 7 aces inside it and won 25 service points to Stearns' 16, saving 5 of 7 break points while converting 3 to level the match at 7-5. Stearns broke twice herself, but three drops of her own serve outweighed them. The decider turned on one moment: Shi's lone break, backed by 2 further aces, closed it 6-4. Stearns saved 2 of 3 break points in the set but earned none against Shi's serve, which faced zero.

Shi's serve carried the comeback: 61 service points won to 54, 39 first-serve points to 30, and a 60% first-serve rate against 55%. Stearns actually won more return points, 39-34, and both players converted 4 break points, but 11 aces against 1 built a wall the return game could not climb. Double faults finished level at 4-4.

Stearns won the steadier rallies; Shi owned the only number that ends matches. Two points decided Wuhan's opener — power did the rest.