WTA: our prediction for the Wuhan tournament
by Cydias Aujard | by Cydias Aujard
WTA Wuhan: Sabalenka aiming for historic semi-final
World number one Aryna Sabalenka is unsurprisingly the favourite to win the Wuhan tournament, with predictions available here. She lifted the trophy in the grand final in 2018, 2019 and most recently in 2024, marking the Chinese tournament's big comeback.
After narrowly losing two Grand Slam finals this season, at the Australian Open to Madison Keys and at Roland Garros to Cori Gauff, the 27-year-old Belarusian finally clinched her first Grand Slam of the season at the US Open on 6 September against American Amanda Anisimova.
The stakes were high in the New York tournament, as it was Aryna Sabalenka's last chance to avoid ending her 2025 season without a single Grand Slam title. Having not played since that emotional victory, she is attempting a comeback in this tournament, which she knows inside out, in an attempt to win another title straight after the US Open. Imposing her dominance in this Chinese tournament immediately after her victory in front of the American public seems like a good way to show that she is still the best of the season.
Check out our tennis predictions
The Polish threat
However, watch out for world number two Iga Swiatek. The Polish player also had a difficult start to the season, taking several months to really get going and win her first title. Eliminated in the semi-finals at the Australian Open and also at Roland Garros, where she was the three-time defending champion, it was finally during the summer that she experienced her greatest thrill of the season.
She won the Wimbledon title for the first time in her career, defeating Amanda Anisimova in the final. Buoyed by this victory, the 24-year-old went on to win the Cincinnati tournament against Jasmine Paolini before reaching the quarter-finals at the US Open.
Iga Swiatek then went on to win her third title of the season on the hard courts of Seoul against Ekaterina Alexandrova, proving that she was determined to finish the 2025 season with as many titles as possible to her name. Eliminated in the round of 16 at the Beijing tournament a few days ago, she will be keen to get off to the best possible start in Wuhan in order to string together victories and, why not, meet Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
But in this kind of duel, it is the Belarusian who has the upper hand, with two consecutive victories in their last two encounters in the semi-finals of Cincinnati in 2024 and Roland Garros in 2025. We should see a very exciting tournament in China with some great matches in prospect.
Our WTA Wuhan winner prediction: Aryna Sabalenka wins the title!
