By: Ashiadey Dotse
Aryna Sabalenka won the Wuhan Open for the third time, becoming the first player to do so, with a tough victory over Zheng Qinwen in the final. The 26-year-old from Belarus defeated China’s Zheng in three sets, repeating her win from the Australian Open final earlier this year.
Sabalenka secured her fourth singles title of the year with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win, and she remains unbeaten in Wuhan. She expressed her excitement, saying the place feels like home and predicted more finals between her and Zheng in the future.
In the match, Sabalenka won the first set in just 38 minutes, but Zheng made a strong comeback to take the second set and force a deciding third. In the final set, Sabalenka took a 3-0 lead, and although Zheng managed to win two more games, Sabalenka broke serve again to lead 5-2. Zheng fought back once more, breaking Sabalenka’s serve, but Sabalenka finally clinched the title on her third championship point.
Zheng, the reigning Olympic gold medalist, made history as the first Chinese player to reach a WTA 1000 final, though she has now lost all four matches against Sabalenka, who is a three-time Grand Slam champion. Zheng remained optimistic, saying she will be better next time.
Sabalenka has now won 17 consecutive matches in Wuhan, breaking Petra Kvitova’s record for the most wins at the tournament. This victory adds to her impressive year, which includes wins at both the Australian Open and US Open, and appearances in seven singles finals.
