Aryna Sabalenka extended her Wuhan Open winning streak to 17 as she defeated Qinwen Zheng for her third consecutive title.
A formidable Aryna Sabalenka continued on her blistering trajectory as she saw off a feisty Qinwen Zheng in the Wuhan Open final.
The pair have now played four times with the Belarusian winning all four and losing just one set.
With Zheng having been comprehensively thumped at the Australian and US Open this year, picking up just three games in New York, she performed far better on Sunday.
As she fought back to level the tie at a set each, she slightly ran out of puff as Sabalenka bruised past.
Chris Evert reacts to ‘impressive’ Aryna Sabalenka victory
American 18-time major singles champion Chris Evert was watching on as the Belarusian continued her winning run.
The 69-year-old admitted her wonder at how Sabalenka handled a buoyant home crowd for Zheng, as well as her opponent’s resurgent second set performance.
She said on X: “Congratulations to Sabalenka on her Wuhan Title. Her all court game AND her handling a very pro Zheng crowd was so impressive…”
Evert was right to draw attention to Sabalenka’s ability to handle pressure – something she’s clearly worked on a lot over the past year.
Indeed, Zheng has enjoyed the support in China over the past few weeks, with the 22-year-old by far the highest ranked female player since the legendary Li Na.
Moreover, Zheng’s Olympic run made Chinese tennis history as well as completely shocking fans globally as she defeated hot favorite Iga Swiatek in the semi-final.
Aryna Sabalenka’s new-found resilience should cause her WTA colleagues major concern
Once known for her volatility, she now combines power with mental toughness, making it harder for rivals to exploit her weaknesses – or at least exploit them to the point she breaks them down herself.
Her ability to stay composed under pressure, especially in key moments, has elevated her game to new heights, an ability demonstrated by her two major titles this year.
With this strengthened mindset, Sabalenka is poised to become an even more dominant force and looks set to finish the year as the number one.