This year’s Australian Open and US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 6-4 5-7 6-3 in the final of the Wuhan Open to become the first player to win three consecutive titles at this tournament. She has extended her winning streak at the Chinese WTA 1000 tournament to 17 consecutive matches. Sabalenka has improved to 4-0 in her head-to-head series against Zheng Qinwen.
Sabalenka has won her 17th WTA Tour title and her fifth on Chinese title following her previous wins in Shenzhen and Zhuhai in 2019 and her titles in Wuhan in 2018 and 2019. She has lifted her fourth title of the 2024 season after winning at the Australian Open, in Cincinnati and at the US Open.
Zheng has moved to world number 7 in the Race to the WTA Finals. The 2024 Olympic champion is aiming to become the first Chinese player to qualify for the WTA Finals since Li Na in 2013.
Sabalenka has extended her career-best streak of top 10 wins to six. The world number 2 is tied with World number 1 Iga Swiatek for the most top 10 wins this season.
Sabalenka earned a break to win the first set 6-4. The Belarusian player dropped just five points on her serve and won 76% of her first serve points in the first set. She went up a set and a break to build a 6-4 2-1 lead. Zheng pulled back on serve in the next game to draw level to 2-2. Sabalenka saved four break points to hold for 3-3. Zheng held serve at 15 for 4-3 before breaking serve in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead, when Sabalenka hit a forehand long. Zheng earned a chance to serve to force the match to the decider at 5-3. The world number 7 player hit a backhand winner to hold serve at love to take a 6-5 lead. The home player closed out the set 7-5 with a break at 30 in the 12thgame, when Sabalenka steered a crosscourt forehand wide.
Zheng had never beaten Sabalenka in their previous three head-to-head matches and had never a set off her Belarusian player until Sunday. Sabalenka beat Zheng 6-3 6-2 in the Australian Open last January before winning a one-sided US Open semifinal 6-1 6-2.
Sabalenka raced out to a 3-0 lead with a double break in the first and third games of the decisive set. Zheng pulled one of the two breaks back and held serve at deuce for 2-3 and held a break point to level to 3-3. Sabalenka held serve before breaking for the third time in the seventh game to open up a 5-2 lead. Zheng rallied to within a single break for the second time. Sabalenka converted her third match point to seal the Wuhan title in a re-match of the Australian Open final. With this win Sabalenka pulls within 69 points of world number 1 Iga Swiatek in the WTA Live Ranking. “It sounds crazy to become the first player to ever win three consecutive titles at Wuhan. This place definitely feels like home. I felt like I just lost bit focus and I let her come back in the match. I got a little bit frustrated there. It became a three-set match. Balls are getting heavier. It’s third set, a bit emotional”, said Sabalenka.