Aryna Sabalenka will be a woman on a mission at the Wuhan Open after her poor display at the China Open.
Sabalenka lost her second match at the China Open, falling to Nikola Bartunkova in straight sets after knocking out Renata Zarazua. She was the second seed at the WTA 1000 tournament, which was her first event since the US Open.
In stark contrast, the Belarusian reached the final in New York, but Sabalenka was beaten by Elena Rybakina, who also overtook her rival as the WTA number one. Fortunately Sabalenka now has an immediate chance of redemption at the Wuhan Open, but the four-time Grand Slam champion certainly does not have an easy possible route to the title, which she has already won three times.
Aryna Sabalenka handed very tough Wuhan Open draw
The final WTA 1000 tournament of the season, the draw for the Wuhan Open has just been confirmed, although Sabalenka already knew that she would be starting out in round two. But despite that bonus as the top seed, she has a very tricky potential run on her hands. She meets either Ann Li or Qinwen Zheng in her opener, with the latter having just stormed her way to the final of the China Open. After that, Sabalenka could meet Elise Mertens, who enjoyed a stunning run in Beijing, where she beat both Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek, before losing to home favourite Zheng.
The tournament could then really heat up at the quarterfinal stage, where Sabalenka could meet Swiatek. It would be just their first match of the 2026 season, and one that the Pole would enter with confidence thanks to her 8-5 record over her WTA rival. But if the Belarusian progresses, China Open finalist Mirra Andreeva could await in the semifinals, before a possible final against Jessica Pegula.
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It is far from an easy run at the Wuhan Open for Sabalenka, who seemingly cannot catch a break at this moment in time. But any criticism of the 28-year-old is totally unfair. She has enjoyed another sensational season, with her extremely high standards the only reason why her latest shortcomings are so heavily in the spotlight.
Sabalenka boasts three WTA titles in 2026, and has managed to make it to two Grand Slam finals, both of which she lost to Rybakina. She holds a 47-10 win-loss record, and could claim further success at the Wuhan Open and the WTA Finals. The WTA star has already qualified for the latter event at Indian Wells, joining Rybakina, Mirra Andreeva and Linda Noskova so far.
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