diff --git a/src/wp-includes/formatting.php b/src/wp-includes/formatting.php
index d79925074a..9bb1538d80 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/formatting.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/formatting.php
@@ -288,9 +288,9 @@ function wptexturize($text, $reset = false) {
 			}
 
 			// 9x9 (times), but never 0x9999
-			if ( 1 === preg_match( '/(?<=\d)x-?\d/', $curl ) ) {
+			if ( 1 === preg_match( '/(?<=\d)x\d/', $curl ) ) {
 				// Searching for a digit is 10 times more expensive than for the x, so we avoid doing this one!
-				$curl = preg_replace( '/\b(\d(?(?<=0)[\d\.,]+|[\d\.,]*))x(-?\d[\d\.,]*)\b/', '$1&#215;$2', $curl );
+				$curl = preg_replace( '/\b(\d(?(?<=0)[\d\.,]+|[\d\.,]*))x(\d[\d\.,]*)\b/', '$1&#215;$2', $curl );
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/tests/formatting/WPTexturize.php b/tests/phpunit/tests/formatting/WPTexturize.php
index 1187f1eb52..8776f44795 100644
--- a/tests/phpunit/tests/formatting/WPTexturize.php
+++ b/tests/phpunit/tests/formatting/WPTexturize.php
@@ -802,9 +802,10 @@ class Tests_Formatting_WPTexturize extends WP_UnitTestCase {
 				"-123x1=-123",
 				"-123&#215;1=-123",
 			),
+			// @ticket 30445
 			array(
 				"-123x-1",
-				"-123&#215;-1",
+				"-123x-1",
 			),
 			array(
 				"0.675x1=0.675",