With less than 200 points separating World No.1 Iga Swiatek and World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka in the race to the year-end finals, tennis fans can hope for a race to the finish between the two superstars later this month.
Sabalenka, who improved to 13-0 lifetime at Wuhan on Wednesday, hopes for the same. The three-time major champion says she hopes to see her Polish rival back on the court soon so that the pair can have a battle for the WTA’s year-end No.1 ranking.
Sabalenka held the No.1 ranking for eight weeks last season, but Swiatek took it back by the end of the year and has run the table thus far in 2024.
The Pole has now logged 124 weeks at No.1, good for seventh all-time on the WTA tour.
“I love having this competition and I love seeing her in the draw,” Sabalenka told reporters after her 6-4 6-4 win over Katerina Siniakova. "I’d love to get to the finals and face her in the finals. It's always great battles. I always enjoy fights against her.”
Swiatek has been out of action since the US Open, and recently parted ways with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, so it isn’t clear when she’ll return to action. Sabalenka hopes it is soon.
“I hope she'll figure out the coach situation and she'll be back in the Finals in her best shape,” she said. “Hopefully we can play against each other there in the Finals, yeah, put it into a fight for world No. 1. That's ideal.”
Meanwhile the World No.2 continues to push through in her most productive season to date.
She earned her 50th win of 2024 on Wednesday and improved to 34-7 on hard courts. The 2018 and 2019 Wuhan champion will face Yulia Putintseva in the round of 16.
“I'm trying to focus on myself and make sure that I play my best tennis and make sure I still have this opportunity to become world No. 1 at the end of the year.”
Gauff, Zheng Advance
Beijing champion Coco Gauff stretched her winning streak with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Viktoriya Tomova, setting up a round of 16 clash with Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
Gauff says her competitive spirit is guiding her as she struggles to keep her battery charged down the stretch.
“Both mentally and physically I'm a little tired, if I'm being honest,” she said. “When I got on the court, I felt fine.
“I think I just love to compete and I love to win. It's one of those things when you step out, you're going to try your best. I have zero expectations this week, so it's kind of one of those rare opportunities where there's no pressure. Every match you're just happy to get through, honestly.”
Home favorite Zheng Qinwen defeated Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian 6-2, 6-4.
Zheng, who spent her formative years in Wuhan, will face Leylah Fernandez next.
She trained in Wuhan from age 8 to 13, and says that the crode support she receives at home motivates her.
“Whether it was pressure or motivation, really depends on how I treat it,” the Paris Olympic gold medalist said. “At this stage I treat it as motivation. More people in front of me, I get more excited.”