Skip to main content Skip to footer 
Aryna Sabalenka made history by becoming the first player to win the Wuhan Open three times after a hard-fought victory against China’s Zheng Qinwen in Sunday’s final. The 26-year-old Belarusian, ranked world number two, secured her fourth singles title of the year with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win, maintaining her unbeaten record in Wuhan.
In a thrilling rematch of the Australian Open final, Sabalenka took the opening set comfortably, but Zheng mounted a comeback in the second, forcing a decider. Despite Zheng’s resistance, Sabalenka regained control in the final set and clinched her 17th career title on her third championship point.
“This place definitely feels like home,” said Sabalenka. “I am pretty sure we are going to play many more finals against one another.”
Zheng, the reigning Olympic gold medalist and the first Chinese player to reach a WTA 1000 final, has now lost all four encounters against Sabalenka. “Next time I will be better,” she commented.
Sabalenka’s win also extended her unbeaten run in Wuhan to 17 consecutive matches, surpassing Petra Kvitova’s record at the tournament. This victory caps off an impressive year for Sabalenka, which includes titles at both the Australian Open and US Open, and appearances in seven singles finals.
