Top seed Aryna Sabalenka clinched her third title in four tournaments by beating home favorite and fifth seed Zheng Qinwen in a thrilling final at the Wuhan Open.
This win adds to Sabalenka’s already impressive season, following victories at Cincinnati and the US Open, further establishing her dominance on the Hologic WTA Tour. Sabalenka’s unparalleled legacy in Wuhan remains intact as she remains undefeated at this prestigious WTA 1000 event, having previously won the title in 2018 and 2019 before the tournament was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the final, Sabalenka extended her winning streak to 17 consecutive matches in Wuhan. She controlled the first set with ease, securing a crucial break of serve in the sixth game and converting her first set point to win 6-3.
The second set was more intense, with both players exchanging breaks twice. Sabalenka’s resilience was evident in the long sixth game, where she held serve to maintain pressure. Serving for the second set at 5-3, Zheng lost serve, allowing Sabalenka to stay in the set, but Zheng managed to secure the set later on Sabalenka’s serve.
In the final set, Sabalenka once again demonstrated her dominance. She quickly took a 3-0 lead with a double break, eventually serving for the match at 5-3. Despite Zheng’s resistance, Sabalenka managed to seal the victory at 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.
On her way to the final, Sabalenka received a first-round bye and then defeated doubles world No. 1 Katerina Siniakova, Yulia Putintseva, Magdalena Frech, and US Open champion Coco Gauff in the semifinals.
With this win, Sabalenka earned her third Wuhan Open title and her 17th career singles title. She is now just 69 points away from Iga Swiatek in the race for the season-ending world No. 1 WTA ranking. Throughout the tournament, Sabalenka wore the Nike Fall Slam Dress and used her Wilson Blade 98 18×20 v9 racquet.
