Aryna Sabalenka welcomed back to Wuhan like an “old friend” as she eyes year-end No. 1 ranking

WUHAN, China—Aryna Sabalenka was welcomed back to the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open like an “old friend”—a nickname bestowed by the Chinese people and no idle metaphor for the two-time champion.

The Belarusian won back-to-back titles here in 2018 and 2019 when the tournament was a WTA 500 (Premier 5), and she’s eager to add a third trophy as the tournament returns to the calendar as a WTA 1000 after five-year hiatus.

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“It’s been a while since I’ve been here,” Sabalenka told press ahead of the tournament. ”I remember my first time winning Wuhan was a very special moment. And winning it two times in a row, I was very sad that I couldn’t come back the following year.

“Coming back, actually, everything feels like home. I have really beautiful memories from the past. I really hope I can replicate my result from 2019.”

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Sabalenka is feeling even more at home in Wuhan after being treated to an “autumn tour” of scenic locations around Wuhan’s East lake, where she took in the beautiful scenery, watched a Chu-style dance performance and got her first taste of beach tennis with local juniors.

In Chinese media, Sabalenka is referred to as an “old friend” of Wuhan for her unique history with the event that kicked off in 2014. She’s 12-0 across two appearances in Wuhan, and is the tournament’s second two-time champion after Petra Kvitova (2014, 2016).

A lot has changed for Sabalenka since her 2018 and 2019 victories here: Back then, the WTA’s Newcomer of the Year was still struggling to find the consistency to make her big hitting game work week in and week out.

In fact, in 2019 Sabalenka had achieved more success on the doubles court, having won her first Grand Slam title that year at the US Open alongside Elise Mertens. Case in point: Sabalenka reached the doubles final in Wuhan with Mertens the same year she successfully defended her singles title—her biggest WTA victories at the time. Her doubles ranking peaked at No. 2 that year, before she eventually rose to world No. 1 in 2021.

Now Sabalenka returns to Wuhan as the world No. 2 in singles, a three-time Grand Slam winner in singles, and, crucially for Chinese tennis fans, as the main rival for national hero Zheng Qinwen. The 26-year-old defeated Zheng twice in US Open semifinals and routed her at this year’s Australian Open final, with the Wuhan native unable to take a set off her opponent in three encounters.

Chinese tennis fans have dubbed her “the mountain that Zheng has yet to overcome”—and Sabalenka is definitely not shying away from the label:

"It's nice to hear that!” Sabalenka told Xinhua News Agency with a grin during her East Lake visit. “I will continue working to make sure she cannot overcome this mountain.”

Maybe it's a testament to how charming and engaging her personality is, that the declaration only seemed to endear her to fans even more: During her Wuhan outing, Sabalenka was stopped by fans several times and handed out several autographs and selfies.

She’s been inundated with fan gifts across Beijing and Wuhan, especially tiger-shaped plush toys for the player they’ve also nicknamed “Tiger Girl”. It is, of course, a reference to her forearm tattoo that the Chinese public has grown to love, as it's a nod to her being born during the Year of the Tiger (1998).

Sabalenka is looking to lift her fourth trophy of the year in Wuhan, having won two Grand Slams in Melbourne and New York and a WTA 1000 in Cincinnati.

She also has a golden opportunity to cut down the gap in ranking points between herself and world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who pulled out of the tournament after announcing her split with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski. Victory here would put Sabalenka less than 100 points from the WTA’s top ranking.

“I’m not someone who is really focused on the ranking,” she told press. “I mean, of course it’s something that I really want and it’s one of my goals. But I learned in the past that if you focus on the ranking, defending points, that type of pressure, things can easily go wrong.

“I prefer to focus on myself, and when I’m on court I’m just trying to bring my best tennis and fight for every point. If I’m able to play my best tennis, then I will become world No. 1.”

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Top seed Sabalenka will face Katerina Siniakova in the second round of the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open.