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Aryna Sabalenka - US Open 2024

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Aryna Sabalenka claims Wuhan ‘feels like home’ after winning third consecutive title

Matthew Johns
Matthew Johns
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Aryna Sabalenka has won the Wuhan Open title for a third consecutive year, becoming only the second player in history to achieve this feat at a WTA 1000 tournament.Sabalenka beat home favourite Qinwen Zheng, 6-3 5-7 6-3, in a rematch of the Australian Open final earlier today.
This was the Belarusian’s 17th consecutive victory in Wuhan, as she becomes the second player in history to win a single WTA 1000 tournament on three consecutive occasions, joining Serena Williams at the Miami Open (2013-2015). Despite Zheng having the majority of the support from the Chinese crowd, Sabalenka revealed after the match that the Wuhan tournament makes her feel like she is at home. “That sounds crazy [winning three titles], this place definitely feels like home,” said Sabalenka. “Thank you guys for coming and bringing an amazing atmosphere tonight. “Even though you were supporting her, I really enjoyed playing in front of you. I got a lot of support throughout the tournament, so thank you so much. It is always an amazing atmosphere on and off the court.” The three-time major winner added, “I will definitely come back even stronger than this year and I will do my best to keep hold of this beautiful trophy in this beautiful place. I will do my best to come back as strong as possible.”
As a result of winning the US Open, and WTA 1000 titles in Cincinnati and now Wuhan, Sabalenka has closed the gap on World No.1 Iga Swiatek to just 69 points. Both players just have one tournament remaining this season at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Sabalenka has just 625 points to defend compared to Swiatek’s 1500 as defending champion.Inside the baseline…Aryna Sabalenka and Wuhan just seem to go together perfectly, especially considering that the last time this event was held was back in 2019. However, it was not all plain-sailing for Sabalenka this year, having been 6-1 4-2 down against Coco Gauff in the semi-final and having to really fightback to keep herself alive. It almost seems inevitable that Sabalenka is going to end this season as World No.1, and based off recent months it feels about right.
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Aryna Sabalenka’s run to the Wuhan treble

The Wuhan Open is Sabalenka’s fourth title of the 2024 season, and here is she did it:First Round – Received a bye as the top seedSecond Round – Beat Katerina Siniakova, 6-4 6-4Third Round – Beat Yulia Putintseva, 1-6 6-4 6-0Quarter-final – Beat Magdalena Frech, 6-2 6-2
Semi-final – Beat Coco Gauff (4), 1-6 6-4 6-4Final – Beat Qinwen Zheng (5), 6-3 5-7 6-3
READ NEXT: Jannik Sinner overcomes ‘toughest challenge’ to win Shanghai Masters
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