Aryna Sabalenka secured her fourth title of the 2024 season by defeating Qinwen Zheng in the final of the Wuhan Open.
Both players had earned their spots in the final at this WTA 1000 tournament through impressive performances—Sabalenka overcame Coco Gauff in the semifinals, while Zheng triumphed over her compatriot Xinyu Wang.
The home crowd rallied behind Zheng, as no Chinese player had ever reached the final or won the tournament in Wuhan. However, despite the support, Zheng had never managed to defeat Sabalenka in their previous encounters, where the Belarusian had consistently dominated. Thus, even the home advantage wasn’t expected to significantly influence the outcome of the match.
Sabalenka entered the match undefeated at the event, having claimed the title in both 2018 and 2019. She aimed to maintain her stronghold in Wuhan, and she started well in the first set.
Throughout her service games, Sabalenka lost only a single point, effectively keeping Zheng away from any break point opportunities. On the return, she created two break points in the sixth game; while she failed to convert the first, she seized the second to take a 4-2 lead.
Both players then held serve for the rest of the set, which favored the World No. 2, allowing her to secure it 6-3. This victory marked her seventh consecutive set won against Zheng, further solidifying her dominance.
When Sabalenka took a one-break lead in the second set, it seemed the match would follow the pattern of their previous encounters, which she had won comfortably in straight sets. However, this time was different. Zheng fought back valiantly, breaking Sabalenka’s serve and even securing an additional break to take a 5-3 lead in the second set. However, she was unable to hold her serve to clinch the set and force a decisive third.
Sabalenka managed to break back, leveling the score at 5-5. Zheng then held her serve to go up 6-5, putting pressure on Sabalenka to serve to stay in the set. However, she couldn’t hold on, and Zheng broke her again. This time, Zheng won the set 7-5 without needing to serve it out.
The third set delivered an exhilarating finish. Sabalenka broke Zheng’s serve twice to establish a 3-0 lead, but Zheng responded by reclaiming one break, narrowing the gap to 1-3.