Linda Noskova carried her China Open form into the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open, defeating No. 11 seed Naomi Osaka 7-6(2), 6-3 in 1 hour and 28 minutes on Wednesday. The 20-year-old Czech continues her breakthrough run in 2025, now winning seven of her last eight matches and scoring her 10th Top 20 win of the year.
Noskova’s Grueling Schedule
The Czech has barely had a break over the past week. At the China Open, she overcame Jessica Pegula from three match points down to reach her first WTA 1000 final, then fell in three sets to Amanda Anisimova. Shortly after, she battled Yulia Putintseva in Wuhan’s first round, winning in a third-set tiebreak.
Despite the tight schedule, Noskova managed to keep her focus fresh. “I try to be as humble as possible, because every tournament is different,” she said. “I focus just on this tournament and leave what happened last week behind, but I bring some confidence from it.”
Key to Victory: Serving and Tiebreaks
Against Osaka, Noskova’s serving was pivotal. There was only one break of serve, which came in the penultimate game, allowing her to close out the match. She also saved all four break points she faced.
“I’m getting better at tiebreaks, I think,” Noskova noted. Her statistics back this up: in 2024, she had a 12-8 record in tiebreaks; in 2025, she is 14-4 and counting, including two in Wuhan this week.
Next Challenge: Rybakina
Noskova will face No. 8 seed Elena Rybakina in the round of 16. Rybakina has previously beaten Noskova in straight sets at Roland Garros 2023 and Brisbane 2024, setting up another high-stakes showdown between two big servers.