There is no time to stop, not even after yet another seasonal title: Aryna Sabalenka has already identified her next goal to achieve after winning her 17th career title at the WTA 1000 in Wuhan.
— wta (@WTA) October 13, 2024
The Belarusian player revealed at the press conference after winning the Chinese title that she wants to surpass Iga Swiatek after the WTA Finals in Riyadh, and become the new WTA No.1.
“The ranking is very tight at the moment. It’s really nice to see for the fans. I’ve always said that this is one of my main goals, but I prefer to focus on myself and continue working hard. We’ll see after the WTA Finals if I’ve been good enough this season to become the world number 1,” Sabalenka said after her third-set win over Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng.
Only 69 points separate Sabalenka from the Pole, now. 2024 has already brought many sporting joys to the Belarusian, who has won two Grand Slam tournaments at the Australian Open and the US Open and two WTA 1000 events in Cincinnati and Wuhan.
Third time’s the charm! 😉🏆 Thank you @wuhanopentennis for all of the love and support during this past week 🫶 pic.twitter.com/fCJsyurOWr
— Sabalenka Aryna (@SabalenkaA) October 13, 2024
“First of all, I would say the conditions are probably better for her here. The court is a lot slower and the ball gets heavy quickly. She can do more things on the court in these conditions. I lost a little bit of concentration and let her get back into the match in the second set. I got nervous and it turned into a three-set match. It was an emotional third set,” she added.
Qinwen Zheng plays one of the POINTS OF THE YEAR against Aryna Sabalenka in Wuhan
Truly ridiculous movement followed up with a perfect lob
A sparkling example of world-class athleticism