WUHAN, China — Top seed Aryna Sabalenka spoiled local hope Zheng Qinwen’s perfect comeback on Sunday after clinching her third title at the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open with a 6-3, 5-7, 6- victory. 3 in the final.
Zheng, the reigning Olympic gold medalist and Wuhan native, celebrated her 22nd birthday earlier this week and advanced to the final after beating compatriot Wang Xinyu in the first all-Chinese semi-final of the history of the tournament.
Following in the footsteps of two-time Grand Slam winner Li Na, who retired from these courts a decade ago after her success sparked the rise of Chinese tennis, Zheng looked set to make more history at her first WTA 1000 final.
Read more: 10 years after Li Na, China’s Zheng Qinwen is on the brink of history again in Wuhan
But Sabalenka, who won her two previous Wuhan finals in 2018 and 2019, came out Sunday understanding her role as a heel, wearing giant over-ear headphones signaling her intention to block out the noise and just get to work.
“I don’t really focus on the crowd anymore when they’re against me,” Sabalenka later told reporters. “I don’t really hear them. I just focus on me and my team…
“I think that match against Coco (Gauff in the US Open final) last year gave me a lot. I’m actually really glad I lost that match, because I think it was better for me. I learned a lot.
