WUHAN, October 13, 2024 (Press Release)
Aryna Sabalenka retained her extraordinary unbeaten run at the DONGFENG VOYAH · WUHAN OPEN on Sunday, beating home town fan favourite Qinwen Zheng 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in a gripping final to become the first player to win three titles at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center.
Sabalenka, 26, has now won 17 matches in a row at the Wuhan Open, adding the 2024 trophy to her victories in 2018 and 2019. This was her 17th WTA Tour title and her fourth this year, with all four coming at WTA 1000 level and above, including Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open. This was also Sabalenka’s fifth WTA title in China – no player has won more.
3-peat complete @SabalenkaA | #WuhanOpen pic.twitter.com/Do0Pje2KdQ
— wta (@WTA) October 13, 2024
“It sounds crazy, totally crazy when you say three titles here,” said Sabalenka. “I’m really happy with my performance this week and really happy to get this trophy for a third time. It’s means a lot to me. It’s just been an unforgettable week.”
Sabalenka’s success in Wuhan could also decide the fate of the year-end No.1 ranking, with the World No.2 gaining considerable ground on current No.1 Iga Swiatek thanks to her victory.
Sabalenka is loved in Wuhan but there was no mistaking who the 13,000-strong crowd were cheering for in the sold-out final, with a wall of noise greeting every point that Zheng won. The three-time Grand Slam champion seemed unperturbed, however, taking a decisive break for 4-2 in the first set.
The second set was a much tighter affair, with Zheng repeatedly putting pressure on the Sabalenka serve before breaking at 6-5 to take the contest into a decider. Sabalenka made the early running in the third set, although Zheng pushed her hard, and held on to give herself more memories to cherish from Wuhan’s center court.
Zheng’s run to the final in the city she grew up in, at the venue where she trained for many years and where she made her debut aged just 16, has been full of milestones for the woman nicknamed “Queenwen” by her fans. She is the first Chinese player to reach the final in Wuhan and the first Chinese woman to reach a WTA 1000 final on Chinese soil. Sunday was also her first WTA 1000 final and caps a transformative year for the 22-year-old. She has won more matches (24) since Wimbledon than any other player on the Tour, including taking the singles gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“I really enjoy to play in front of my home people,” said Zheng. “I enjoyed every single match in here even if the result is not what I wanted. But that’s happen in tennis. I’m just happy to be in the final and to reach as far as I can this tournament.”
Zheng’s successful week in her home means that she is now No.7 in the race to qualify for the eight-woman field at this year’s WTA year-end finals, which start on November 2nd. Zheng is due to play at the WTA 500 event in Ningbo this coming week to further strengthen her chance of qualifying for the season-ending event for the first time in her career.
Earlier on Sunday, Anna Danilina and Irina Kromacheva won the 2024 doubles title with a 6-3, 7-6(6) win over Jessica Pegula and Asia Muhummad. The winning pair only teamed up earlier this year and have now won 25 of their 30 matches as a partnership. “It’s amazing. It’s our first-ever 1000 title,” said Kromacheva afterwards. “So many emotions right now. I’m really, really happy. I think when the season is over, we will just then understand what we did.”
