Aryna Sabalenka eyes year-end No. 1 ranking following title victory at Wuhan Open
Aryna Sabalenka completed a historic three-peat on Sunday, October 13, as she beat China’s Zheng Qinwen to claim the Wuhan Open title. Never having bowed down to Zheng, Sabalenka extended her head-to-head record over the Chinese player to a perfect 4-0. In a hard-fought battle, the Belarusian beat the home favorite 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to extend her unbeaten streak at the Wuhan Open to 17-0. The reigning US Open champion previously won the trophy in 2018 and 2019. Aryna Sabalenka is now just a few points shy of overtaking Iga Swiatek in the WTA Rankings to claim the top spot.
Aryna Sabalenka beats Zheng Qinwen to complete a three-peat at Wuhan Open
The Wuhan Open final once again pitted Zheng Qinwen against Aryna Sabalenka, following her previous defeats to the Belarusian in the Australian Open final and the US Open quarter-finals. Playing at home, Qinwen had the perfect chance to avenge her Grand Slam losses at the WTA 1000 event. The Chinese player put forth an impressive challenge to Sabalenka as she pushed the final match to a deciding set. However, Aryna Sabalenka, who held a 3-0 record over Zheng prior to the Wuhan Open final, once again emerged victorious on Sunday at the Dongfeng Voyah Stadium.
Unlike their previous one-sided encounters, Zheng showed significant improvement in her efforts to overcome the heated rivalry. Sabalenka, backed by her dominant record over Qinwen, quickly secured the first set in just 38 minutes. The Chinese player struggled with her first serve, which landed at just 42 percent in the opening set. Sabalenka didn’t miss a beat, boasting an enviable 76 percent first-serve rate and losing only five points on her serve. She extended her advantage to a set and a break by going up 2-1 early in the second set.
However, Qinwen, with the home crowd cheering her on despite being down, staged a comeback in the second set. The World No. 7 consistently applied pressure on Sabalenka's serve to level the match. Despite Sabalenka saving four break points to make it 3-3, Zheng remained undeterred. She won eight of the next 10 points to take a 5-3 lead. Sabalenka managed to break back, but Zheng’s resilience showed as she broke again to push the match to a decisive third set.
Zheng Qinwen entered the final with an impressive 19-3 record in three-set matches and had won her last 10 deciding sets. However, Sabalenka, well-acquainted with Zheng’s aggressive game, proved too strong in the end. The World No. 2 raced to a double-break lead at 3-0 in the third set. Zheng managed to close the gap and even had a break point to level the set at 3-3, but Sabalenka's wide second serve forced Zheng to go for a down-the-line backhand return that missed its mark.
With her victory at the Wuhan Open, Aryna Sabalenka secured her fourth title of the season. This is the first season where Sabalenka has claimed multiple WTA 1000 titles in a single year. Earlier in the year, she won her sixth career WTA 1000 trophy at the Cincinnati Open.
Aryna Sabalenka will vie for year-end World No. 1 title at WTA Finals Riyadh
Following the conclusion of the Wuhan Open, the WTA rankings saw Sabalenka move up to second place, closely trailing Iga Swiatek. Coco Gauff, with her title victory at the China Open and a semi-final finish at the Wuhan Open, has climbed to the third spot. Gauff’s rise to the Top 3 pushed Jessica Pegula down to fourth. Zheng Qinwen, meanwhile, remains in contention for WTA Finals qualification, sitting at seventh in the WTA standings. Sabalenka, with just a 69-point gap behind Swiatek, has a chance to claim the year-end No.1 position if she wins all three of her group stage matches at the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
"Really tight ranking right now," Sabalenka said. "Really nice to see. I always say, of course, it's one of the goals, but I prefer to focus on myself and just keep working hard. We'll see after the Finals if I was good enough this season to become World No.1."
The top seven players in the race will automatically qualify for the WTA Finals in Riyadh at the end of the regular season. The 22-year-old Zheng is aiming to become the first Chinese player to reach the season-ending championships since Li Na did in 2013. Sabalenka, meanwhile, extended her personal-best streak of victories over Top 10 opponents to six. This ties her with World No.1 Iga Swiatek, as both players have secured nine Top 10 wins this year.
