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Wuhan 2024: Dates, draws, prize money and everything you need to know

4m read 24 Nov 2024 6mo ago
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Making its long-awaited return, the Dongfeng Voyah · Wuhan Open is back on the calendar for the first time since 2019, where it will be the final WTA 1000 event of this season.

The seventh edition of the tournament will feature 15 of the Top 20 players in the PIF WTA Singles Rankings. Wuhan will be the second consecutive WTA 1000 event on tour in China, following the China Open in Beijing. 

Wuhan: Scores | Order of Play | Draws

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek

View Profile withdrew from the tournament after announcing her split from coach Tomasz Wiktorowski. Coming off another deep run at the China Open, World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka
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is hot on her heels in a showdown for the year-end No.1 ranking.

Sabalenka has been dominant in Wuhan, taking the title in each of the past two editions, in 2018 and 2019. She has never lost a match at the tournament.

Wuhan will hold an important part in determining who will qualify for the year-end WTA Finals Riyadh. Swiatek and Sabalenka are the only singles qualifiers so far, with six more spots still up for grabs.

Here are the fast facts as Wuhan returns to center stage:

When does the tournament start?

Main-draw play at Wuhan kicks off on Monday, Oct. 7. The weeklong event wraps up on Sunday, Oct. 13.

Singles qualifying takes place the weekend before, on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6.

The Head Tour Regular Duty ball will be used at the event.

Wuhan is on China Standard Time (GMT +8, Eastern Time +12).

How big are the fields?

There will be 56 players competing in the singles main draw, with the top eight seeds receiving first-round byes. There will be eight qualifiers and four wild cards.

The doubles draw will contain 28 teams, with the top four seeds receiving first-round byes. Three wild-card teams will be part of that draw.

When are the finals?

The singles final will take place Sunday, Oct. 13 not before 5 p.m. local time. The doubles final will be earlier that day at 2:30 p.m. local.

When are the draws?

The singles and doubles draws took place on Saturday, Oct. 5.

Wuhan draw analysis: Sabalenka eyes three-peat in returning tournament

The full singles draw can be found in the WTA Insider post below, and both draws can be found on the WTA website here.

Who are the defending champions?

Sabalenka is 12-0 in Wuhan. She defeated Alison Riske-Amritraj in the 2019 final 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

The 2019 doubles champions Duan Yingying and Veronika Kudermetova

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in the final, 7-6(3), 6-2.

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    Champions Reel: How Aryna Sabalenka won Wuhan 2019

    What are the ranking points and prize money on offer in the singles main draw?

    First round: 10 points | $14,846
    Second round: 65 points | $20,714
    Round of 16: 120 points | $36,568
    Quarterfinals: 215 points | $73,193
    Semifinals: 390 points | $159,439
    Finalist: 650 points | $309,280
    Champion: 1000 points | $525,115

    Who is playing?

    Here are stats for the Top 8 seeds:

    1. Aryna Sabalenka

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    Ranking: No.2 (career-high No.1)
    Career singles titles: 16 (3 this year)
    Career main-draw win-loss record at Wuhan Open: 12-0
    Best Wuhan Open result: Champion (2018, 2019)

    2. Jessica Pegula

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    Ranking: No.3 (career-high No.3)
    Career singles titles: 6 (2 this year)
    Career main-draw win-loss record at Wuhan Open: 0-1
    Best Wuhan Open result: First round (2019)

    3. Jasmine Paolini

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    Ranking: No.5 (career-high No.5)
    Career singles titles: 2 (1 this year)
    Best Wuhan Open result: Tournament debut

    4. Coco Gauff

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    Ranking: No.6 (career-high No.2)
    Career singles titles: 7 (1 this year)
    Best Wuhan Open result: Tournament debut

    5. Zheng Qinwen
    Ranking: No.7 (career-high No.7)
    Career singles titles: 4 (2 this year)
    Best Wuhan Open result: Lost in qualifying (2019)

    6. Emma Navarro

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    Ranking: No.8 (career-high No.8)
    Career singles titles: 1 (1 this year)
    Best Wuhan Open result: Tournament debut

    7. Barbora Krejcikova

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    Ranking: No.10 (career-high No.2)
    Career singles titles: 8 (1 this year)
    Best Wuhan Open result: Tournament debut

    8. Daria Kasatkina

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    Ranking: No.11 (career-high No.8)
    Career singles titles: 7 (1 this year)
    Career main-draw win-loss record at Wuhan Open: 6-4
    Best Wuhan Open result: Round of 16 (2016, 2017, 2018)

    Sabalenka is the only previous Wuhan champion entered. Former champions Petra Kvitova (2014, 2016) and Venus Williams (2015) are not playing, and Caroline Garcia

    View Profile (2017) withdrew from the main-draw entries with a continuing right shoulder injury.

    In addition to Swiatek, among the other withdrawals are Elena Rybakina

    View Profile (back injury), Danielle Collins
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    (illness),
    Jelena Ostapenko
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    (continued abdominal injury), Maria Sakkari
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    (continued shoulder injury),
    Ons Jabeur
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    (shoulder injury), Victoria Azarenka
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    (continuing injury),
    Elina Svitolina
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    (continuing injury), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
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    (back injury) and
    Karolina Pliskova
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    (foot injury).

    The main-draw entry cutoff was based on the rankings from Sept. 9. Along with Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, other Chinese players who have received direct entry are Yuan Yue, Wang Xinyu and Zhang Shuai. Zhang Shuai is using her protected ranking of No.48.

    How did last year's Asian swing play out?

    Here's a look at 2023's champions and finalists from this portion of the season in Asia:

    Osaka (WTA 250): Ashlyn Krueger

    View Profile def. Zhu Lin
    Guangzhou (WTA 250): Wang Xiyu def. Magda Linette
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    Tokyo (WTA 500): Veronika Kudermetova

    View Profile def. Jessica Pegula
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    Ningbo (WTA 250): Ons Jabeur
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    def.
    Diana Shnaider
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    Beijing (WTA 1000): Iga Swiatek

    View Profile def. Liudmila Samsonova
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    Zhengzhou (WTA 500): Zheng Qinwen def. Barbora Krejcikova

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    Hong Kong (WTA 250): Leylah Fernandez
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    def. Katerina Siniakova
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    Seoul (WTA 250): Jessica Pegula

    View Profile def. Yuan Yue
    Nanchang (WTA 250): Katerina Siniakova
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    def.
    Marie Bouzkova
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    WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai: Beatriz Haddad Maia

    View Profile def. Zheng Qinwen