She outshines local favorite Zheng, maintaining her undefeated streak in the tournament.
( WUHAN, CHINA )Aryna Sabalenka made history by becoming the first player to win the Wuhan Open three times, defeating local hero Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in the final on Sunday.
As the top seed, Sabalenka continued her flawless record in Wuhan, improving to an impressive 17-0. This victory marks her third title at the event, having previously triumphed in 2018 and 2019.
In a rematch of the 2024 Australian Open final, Sabalenka faced a determined Zheng but ultimately secured her fifth title in the Open era on Chinese soil. With two Grand Slam titles and a WTA 1000 victory in Cincinnati already in 2024, Sabalenka claimed her fourth trophy of the season, having reached seven finals.
The 26-year-old enhanced her chances of finishing the year as the world number one, closing in on Iga Swiatek, with their battle expected to come down to the wire at the WTA Finals in Riyadh next month.
“That’s a really tight ranking right now. Really nice to see,” said Sabalenka, who trails Swiatek in the world rankings by less than 100 points. “We’ll see after the Finals if I was good enough this season to become world number one.”
Zheng had never taken a set off Sabalenka in their previous three meetings, all of which occurred at Grand Slam tournaments in the past 13 months. However, Sunday’s final proved to be different, as Zheng, the reigning Olympic gold medalist, played in front of her hometown crowd.
Sabalenka gained an early advantage, breaking Zheng for a 4-2 lead after a double fault from her opponent in front of a packed arena of 13,000 spectators. The Belarusian closed out the 38-minute opening set with her second ace, losing only five points on serve.
Though Sabalenka initially seemed poised for another straightforward victory after breaking in the third game of the second set, Zheng quickly responded, earning her first service break against Sabalenka in their encounters.
The match turned into a tug-of-war, with Zheng pulling ahead to 5-3, only for Sabalenka to rally back. The defining moment for Zheng came in the 12th game when she seized a Sabalenka error to break serve and secure a set against her opponent for the first time, taking the final into a decisive third set.
In the final set, Sabalenka surged to a double-break lead at 3-0. Although Zheng fought hard to close the gap, she couldn’t convert her opportunities, and Sabalenka ultimately clinched the victory after 2 hours and 40 minutes.