WUHAN, China, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- This year's WTA1000 Wuhan Open in October has attracted nine of the current world top 10 players to the capital city of central China's Hubei Province, the home province of Paris Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen.
Among the 43 direct entries are seven Grand Slam singles champions and four current or former world No. 1s. The finalists of this season's Grand Slams and the Paris Olympic medalists will all battle it out in Wuhan, the tournament organizers announced on Thursday.
World No. 1 and four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek is set to make her Wuhan Open debut, while two-time winner Aryna Sabalenka will return to her "lucky ground." Currently, Swiatek and Sabalenka are in close competition for the top seed at the WTA Finals, and their performance in Wuhan could determine the final outcome.
Zheng will compete in Wuhan as a seeded player for the first time. Fellow Chinese player Yuan Yue has also secured a spot following her breakthrough year, which included winning her first WTA singles title at the Austin Open.
The 2024 Wuhan Open will take place from October 5 to 13 at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center, featuring 106 matches and approximately 120 female players who will compete for 1,000 ranking points and a prize pool of 3.22 million U.S. dollars. ■
