Aryna Sabalenka closes in on Iga Swiatek with Wuhan Open win to protect perfect streak

Aryna Sabalenka continued her winning streak at the Wuhan Open, clinching her third title and edging closer to Iga Swiatek in the world rankings. She still has never lost at the tournament.

Sabalenka, who previously triumphed in 2018 and 2019, proved unstoppable once more as the tournament made its comeback this year.

The Belarusian star overcame China’s Zheng Qinwen with a scoreline of 6-3 5-7 6-3, now trailing Swiatek by just 69 points, teeing up an exciting showdown at the upcoming WTA Finals.

Despite not having won a set against Sabalenka in their three prior encounters, including this year’s Australian Open final, Zheng put up a formidable fight.

The Chinese fifth seed mounted a remarkable comeback from a set and a break down to take a 5-3 lead in the second set, stumbled when serving for the set but managed to break Sabalenka thrice to even the match.

However, it was Sabalenka who dominated the early stages of the final set, and despite Zheng’s valiant efforts to rally, the top seed secured the win on her third match point.

“This place definitely feels like home,” Sabalenka expressed. “I’ll do my best to keep holding this beautiful trophy in this beautiful place.”