On October 13, it was reported that in the final of the Wuhan Open that ended on the evening of October 13, Zheng Qinwen lost 1-2 to Sabalenka and became the runner-up. In an interview after the match, Sabalenka said that it was incredible to be able to win three consecutive titles at the Wuhan Open, and it was very difficult to beat Zheng Qinwen.
In the first set, Sabalenka won Zheng Qinwen 6-3. Zheng Qinwen sent a double fault on break point, and she felt more pressure on her serve. Sabalenka is not only able to pick and move, but also knows more about small techniques and changing the ball, and deserves to be one of the best female players today.
Zheng Qinwen successfully counterattacked when he was broken first in the second set, and completed the key break at the end of the set to win the set 7-5!
Although Zheng Qinwen broke the opponent's serve to win the game and two match points in the deciding set, he still lost to Sabalenka 3-6, 7-5, 3-6 and unfortunately won the runner-up in the Wuhan Open. Sabalenka won the third consecutive championship at the Wuhan Open.
Reflecting on the match after the game, Sabalenka said: "It was a very tough game. I had a break lead in the second set, then I lost my focus a little bit, and it ended up being a three-set battle. Overall, it was a high-level matchup, a good fight, and I'm very happy to win this beautiful trophy. ”
The two have met three times before, with Sabalenka beating Zheng Qinwen 2-0 in the final of this year's Australian Open and the quarter-finals of last year's and this year's US Open. This is the first time that the two sides have met outside of a Grand Slam.
Commenting on the progress of her opponents in this encounter, Sabalenka said: "I think she has really improved compared to the previous encounters. She played more consistently and played more aggressively. I think her backhand has improved as well. Her movement and serve are fantastic. I can see her progress. I'm glad I was able to win these fights even when my opponents were getting stronger. We met in three major tournaments and I'm glad I'm still on the winning side. Like I said before the start of the race, I'm going to keep trying, and even if my opponent is improving, I'm going to try to improve more and try to win more in the future. ”
Speaking about competing for the top spot in the year-end with Swiatek, Sabalenka said: "Now we are very close in the ranking points and it's great to see that. Hitting the top spot in the world is certainly one of my goals, but I want to focus on myself and keep trying. Let's see after the finals to see if I'm good enough this season to be the No. 1 at the end of the year. ”