Aryna Sabalenka and Zheng Qinwen have set the stage for a Top 10 showdown on Sunday with the WTA 1000 Dongfeng Voyah · Wuhan Open title on the line.
Wuhan: Scores | Order of Play | Draws
At the year's final WTA 1000 event, the Chinese fans will be treated to a marquee clash between 22-year-old Zheng, their top-ranked star and Olympic gold medalist, and 26-year-old Sabalenka, a player who has never lost a match inside the Wuhan city limits.
Here's everything you need to know as this season's WTA 1000 events wrap up on Sunday in Wuhan:
When is the singles final?
The 2024 Dongfeng Voyah · Wuhan Open singles final between No.1 seed Sabalenka and No.5 seed Zheng will take place on Sunday, Oct. 13, not before 5:00 p.m. local time.
The doubles final will occur before the singles final, starting at 2:30 p.m. local time on Sunday.
Wuhan is on China Standard Time (GMT +8, Eastern Time +12).
What are the points and prize money at stake?
Wuhan is the last of this year's ten WTA 1000 tournaments. By making this week's final, Sabalenka and Zheng have assured themselves of at least 650 ranking points and $309,280 in prize money.
A win on Sunday will give the champion a total take of 1,000 points and $525,115.
How did Sabalenka and Zheng get here?
World No.2 Sabalenka came into this week as the two-time defending champion, having won the previous two editions of the event. She hoisted the trophy in her 2018 tournament debut, and successfully defended her crown in 2019.
Despite the tournament's five-year hiatus from the calendar, Sabalenka has maintained her perfect record upon return. She is now 16-0 lifetime at the event.
After her first-round bye, Sabalenka defeated Katerina Siniakova, Yulia Putintseva and Magdalena Frech to set up a semifinal clash with No.4 seed Coco Gauff. Sabalenka came back from a set down in that match, ending last week's Beijing champion Gauff's nine-match win streak.
Meanwhile, World No.7 Zheng continues to set new WTA 1000 milestones in her home country this year. Reigning Olympic champion Zheng made her first WTA 1000 semifinal last week in her national capital of Beijing, and she has gone one better this week in Wuhan.
After a first-round bye, Zheng beat Jaqueline Cristian, Leylah Fernandez, No.3 seed Jasmine Paolini and her compatriot Wang Xinyu to make the final.
Both Sabalenka and Zheng have lost two sets in four matches this week.
How do they stack up?
Sabalenka and Zheng will face off for the fourth time on Sunday, and the head-to-head is overwhelmingly in Sabalenka's favor thus far.
Top-seeded Sabalenka has won all three of their previous meetings in straight sets. Those three meetings have occurred at the last three hard-court Grand Slam events.
Sabalenka beat Zheng 6-1, 6-4 in last year's US Open quarterfinals before they squared off for a Grand Slam title in this year's Australian Open final. Sabalenka won that clash 6-3, 6-2, capturing her second straight Aussie major over first-time Slam finalist Zheng.
The pair met in the US Open quarterfinals once again this year. Despite Zheng's new status as Olympic champion, she could not avenge either of her prior losses. Sabalenka won 6-1, 6-2 less than two months ago in New York.
Head to Head
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What milestones are at stake on Sunday?
Hoping to remain undefeated in Wuhan, Sabalenka is seeking her seventh career WTA 1000 title and her second of the year (she won the Cincinnati title this summer). A win would give Sabalenka her 17th career WTA singles title overall.
Victory would also be a huge assist in Sabalenka's quest to take the year-end World No.1 ranking over Iga Swiatek. For the second straight year, Sabalenka and Swiatek are going down to the wire for the year-end top spot; Swiatek clinched it at the very last second last season.
As for Zheng, triumph in her first WTA 1000 final would be her fifth career WTA singles title, and third of this year after winning Palermo and the Olympics back-to-back. A win would also boost her chances at becoming one of the final qualifiers for this year's WTA Finals Riyadh.
Zheng is trying to become the second Chinese player to claim a WTA 1000 title, following Li Na at 2012 Cincinnati. Zheng is already the first Chinese player to make a WTA 1000 final in China since the WTA 1000 tier started in 2009.
16 - Aryna Sabalenka has become the player with the most main draw wins at the Wuhan Open since the tournament's inception in 2014 (16, equalling Petra Kvitova). Top. #wuhanopen | @wuhanopentennis @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/8fueEx6tQI
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) October 12, 2024
What are they saying?
Here is some of what Sabalenka and Zheng said after their semifinal victories on Saturday:
Sabalenka: "I think in the first set [Gauff] was just, like, crushing it. Whatever she was doing, everything was flying in. ... I think it was just a matter of who's going to take these first shots, like who is going to control the point. I think that's what changed in the second set. That's what changed in the third set, as well.
"Lately, I don't know, life [has] been challenging me with playing home-country players [in finals], starting from Cincinnati. ... But I know that I still got some people here who support me.
"This tournament feels like playing at home. Being the third time in the finals, hopefully I'll get this beautiful trophy tomorrow. But no expectations on support from the crowd. I have my team. I have my family. I have a lot of people who support me around the world. I'll just focus on that."
Zheng: "It's totally different pressure [here versus the Olympics]. ... I remember in the [Olympics] quarterfinal, semifinal, my hands were shaking during the match. I mean, after Olympic Games, I never had those feelings anymore. My hand is not shaking during the match at least.
"I still have some pressure here, but I will consider much less pressure. It's more under control.
"I think I should put my mental in the relax mood 'cause last time when I play against [Sabalenka], both times, I was little bit like thinking too much and I'm not able to perform my tennis. So I wish tomorrow, first of all I can perform well my tennis.
"Sabalenka, she's a really aggressive player, but I'm aggressive, too. So we will see tomorrow."
