Aryna Sabalenka was unstoppable in her first appearance at the Dongfeng Voyah · Wuhan Open, defeating Ashleigh Barty in the semifinals and Anett Kontaveit in the final. The following year, she ran the table again, with another Barty semifinal win and a three-set final over Alison Riske-Amritraj.
That second title came five years ago, and the Wuhan Open had been on sabbatical since then. But now it’s back, with main-draw action unfolding Monday.
Wuhan: Scores | Schedule | Draws
It’s as if someone hit the pause button and now, here is Sabalenka, the top seed — and two-time defending champion — looking for the rare trifecta.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been here,” Sabalenka told reporters in Wuhan on Sunday, ahead of the event. ”I remember first time winning Wuhan was a very special moment. And winning it two times in a row, I was very sad that I couldn’t come back the following year.
“Coming back, actually, everything feels like home. I have really beautiful memories from the past. I really hope I can replicate my result from 2019.”
Sabalenka has been having a wonderful hard-court season. She won the titles in Cincinnati and New York, collecting her second Grand Slam victory of the season. Her winning streak swelled to 15 consecutive match wins before Karolina Muchova snapped it in the quarterfinals of the China Open.
In this 56-player draw, the top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round. After her bye, Sabalenka will face either Filipina wild card Alexandra Eala or World No.37 Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic. Sabalenka is one of seven Top 10 players (and 15 from the Top 20) in the main draw.
The projected quarterfinal matchups if the seeds hold:
No.1 Sabalenka-No.6 Emma Navarro, No.4 Coco Gauff-No.8 Daria Kasatkina, No.3 Jasmine Paolini-No.5 Zheng Qinwen, and No.2 Jessica Pegula-No.7 Barbora Krejcikova.
This is the 10th and final WTA 1000 event of the season and the biggest remaining chance for players to enhance their positions in the PIF Race to the WTA Finals Riyadh.
Long story short: Navarro currently holds down the final qualifying spot with 3,568 points, but there are four players in the Wuhan draw in hot pursuit — Zheng (3,460), Kasatkina (2,818), Paula Badosa…