The 4 women to lift Wuhan Open title – ft Venus Williams, Aryna Sabalenka
After a five-year absence, the Wuhan Open returns in 2024 with some of the biggest names on the WTA Tour gunning for the title.
It has been a decade since the event first launched and top seed Aryna Sabalenka will look to make history this year by becoming the the first three-time champion in tournament history.
With action underway, we look at Sabalenka and the three other women to lift the title.
Petra Kvitova – 2014, 2016
Former world No 2 Kvitova has a special place in Wuhan history, not only being the first champion at the tournament – but also being the first two-time champion.
The third seed at the inaugural edition of the event a decade ago, the Czech beat an unseeded Caroline Garcia in the quarter-final, before downing Elina Svitolina in the semi-final.
In a rematch of the Wimbledon final that she won so convincingly earlier that season, Kvitova defeated sixth seed Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-4 to lift the title.
Kvitova was beaten in round three in 2015 but battled back with a strong run to the title in 2016.
Seeded 14th, the Czech battled past world No 1 and top seed Angelique Kerber in the third round, before defeating fourth seed Simona Halep for the loss of just three games in the last four.
That was followed by an even more emphatic victory over 10th seed Dominika Cibulkova in the final, with Kvitova winning 6-1, 6-1.
Venus Williams – 2015
All-time great Williams won her ninth and final WTA 1000 title at the event in 2015, becoming the tournament’s second champion.
The American was unseeded in the draw and shocked 10th seed Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets in the opening round, before downing seventh seed Carla Suarez Navarro in round three.
Epic victories over qualifier Johanna Konta and 15th seed Roberta Vinci saw her reach her 15th WTA 1000 final, where she faced fifth seed Garbine Muguruza.
Williams was leading 6-3, 3-0 when the Spaniard retired due to injury, handing the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion the 47th title of her career.
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Caroline Garcia – 2017
Garcia made history in 2017 by becoming the first, and so far only, player to win the China Open and Wuhan Open titles in the same season.
The Frenchwoman was unseeded in Wuhan and beat 12th seed Kerber in three sets in the opening round, before beating seventh seed and 2016 runner-up Cibulkova in round three.
Garcia went on to down qualifier Maria Sakkari in the last four to set up an all-unseeded final against Ashleigh Barty, who had not long made her return to tour.
In a hard-fought contest, the former world No 4 battled her way to a 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-2 victory to claim one of the biggest titles of her career.
She would go on to win a second straight title in Beijing a few weeks later.
Aryna Sabalenka – 2018, 2019
Sabalenka comes into Wuhan as the two-time defending champion, having won her first two WTA 1000 titles at the event in 2018 and 2019.
The Belarusian was unseeded in the draw and shocked sixth seed Svitolina in the second round, and would then beat 16th seed Barty in the semi-final.
That set up a second straight all-unseeded final at the tournament, with Sabalenka beating Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 6-3 to lift what was – at that point – the biggest title of her career.
A year later she returned as the ninth seed and, after beating sixth seed Kiki Bertens in round three, again defeated Barty – the world No 1 at that stage – in the last four.
Sabalenka was pushed hard in the final but eventually defeated Alison Riske 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to defend her title.
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