REIGNING CHAMP ARYNA SABALENKA, IGA SWIATEK HEADLINE WUHAN ENTRY LIST – AS TOURNAMENT RETURNS AFTER 5-YEAR ABSENCE
The Wuhan Open is back after a five-year absence – and Aryna Sabalenka will be looking to complete an elongated ‘threepeat’ at the WTA 1000 event.
World No 2 Sabalenka won the title the last two times the tournament was held, defeating Anett Kontaveit in the 2018 final and Alison Riske a year later.
Since then, the tournament has not been held due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the WTA’s shortlived boycott of China.
However, a decade on from the first staging of the tournament, the best in the women’s game will return to the city after a five-year absence.
Now an elite force in the women’s game, three-time Slam champion Sabalenka will fancy her chances of sealing her third title at the WTA 1000 tournament.
However, she will face stiff competition in the form of world No 1 Iga Swiatek.
The Pole has never played the tournament, being too low-ranked to play in 2019, and makes her tournament debut as the best player in the world – and as a five-time major winner.
Swiatek has previously found success in the nation, triumphing at the WTA 1000 China Open in 2023, and she and Sabalenka will be the two favourites for the title.
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Unsurprisingly for a tournament of its calibre, the entry field is stacked, with the vast majority of the WTA’s top 30 all entered into the draw.
World No 3 and recent US Open finalist Jessica Pegula will be in action, while world No 4 Elena Rybakina has entered the tournament amid speculation surrounding her health and coaching situation.
The rest of the top-10 have also entered, with Jasmine Paolini, Coco Gauff, Zheng Qinwen, Emma Navarro, Maria Sakkari, and Danielle Collins all set to be in action.
Wimbledon champion and world No 11 Barbora Krejcikova will also battle for the title, while the likes of Donna Vekic, Paula Badosa, and Diana Shnaider look to continue their recent runs of form.
There are also four wildcard spots yet to be announced, and all eyes will be on who they are handed to.
Several Chinese players may well benefit from byes into their home event, but some big names will likely also be in contention.
Perhaps the obvious candidate is Naomi Osaka, Asia’s most successful tennis player, and a four-time Grand Slam champion and world No 1.
Emma Raducanu, a hugely popular figure in China, may also benefit, as could the likes of Caroline Wozniacki.
2024-09-16T13:29:35Z dg43tfdfdgfd