On the evening of October 7, the 2024 Dongfeng Lantu Wuhan Open kicked off at the Wuhan Guanggu International Tennis Center, bringing together approximately 120 of the world’s top female tennis players. Over the course of 106 matches, they will compete not only for 1,000 ranking points but also for a total prize purse of around $3.22 million.

As one of China’s premier tennis events, the Wuhan Open has earned its spot among the top three highest-level tournaments in the country. This year, it has been upgraded to a WTA 1000 event, featuring an impressive field with 16 of the top 20 ranked players confirmed to participate. Notably, all eight top-seeded players will enjoy first-round byes.

In the main draw’s 64 singles positions, Aryna Sabalenka, a two-time champion from 2018 and 2019, stands as the top seed and automatically secures the number one position. Zheng Qinwen, who clinched the gold medal in women’s singles at the Paris Olympics and is currently ranked seventh in the world, enters the tournament as the fifth seed. She received a first-round bye and will face the winner of a match between a qualifying player and Christian in the second round. Importantly, Sabalenka and Zheng are in opposite halves of the draw, meaning their potential showdown could only happen in the finals. However, the tournament will be without world number one Iga Swiatek from Poland, who has withdrawn due to team adjustments.

The performance of the Chinese players, known as the “Jinhua” team, is also generating considerable buzz. Zhang Shuai, Yuan Yue, Wang Xinyu, and Wang Xiyu are all set to compete in the women’s singles main draw. On the afternoon of October 7, Yuan Yue made her debut against France’s Clara Burel, currently ranked 56th and entering the main draw as a lucky loser. After dropping the first set under pressure, Yuan staged an impressive comeback, winning the match 1-6, 6-4, 6-2, which propels her into the second round to face the third seed, Paula Badosa.

The Wuhan Open is the final WTA 1000 event of the year, with matches continuing until October 13.