Aryna Sabalenka Returns to Defend Title at Wuhan Open

WUHAN, China — World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka returns to the Dongfeng · Voyah Wuhan Open to defend her title, facing challenging competition. This tournament marks her first appearance since winning her fourth Grand Slam singles title at the US Open last month.

The draw for the final WTA 1000 event of 2025 was released on Saturday. It includes eight of the top ten players from the PIF WTA Rankings, despite the withdrawal of defending finalist Zheng Qinwen. Sabalenka aims to navigate a potentially tricky path to title defense.

Sabalenka, who previously won the Wuhan Open in 2018, 2019, and 2024, kicks off her campaign against either Rebecca Sramkova or Anna Kalinskaya, both of whom present a significant challenge as she has not played in over a month. If successful, she could face the eighth-seeded Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals, who defeated her in their last encounter at the Cincinnati Open.

Notably, this section of the draw also features No. 11 seed Naomi Osaka, who aims to bounce back after an early exit at the China Open. Osaka will face Leylah Fernandez, who previously defeated her at the 2021 US Open.

The draw also sees prominent American players like No. 4 seed Amanda Anisimova and No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula. If they meet in the quarterfinals, it could be a rematch from the recent China Open finals.

Meanwhile, British player Emma Raducanu seeks to build her ranking against Ann Li in her first-round match. With other notable players like Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini in the mix, the excitement is high for this year’s tournament.

The Wuhan Open features a 56-player singles draw and will run from October 6 to 12 at the Optics Valley International Tennis Centre, culminating in a thrilling finale to the WTA 1000 season.