Sventek, Sakkari, Pegula: Sobolenko’s potential path to fourth title in Wuhan

In Wuhan started the last in the current tennis season tournament category WTA 1000. In the main grid of the competition will be the only representative of Belarus – Arina Sobolenko, who will start the fight from the second round. It's from sb.by.

Wuhan tournament is one of the favorites for the second racket of the world. Earlier, Sobolenko became its winner three times: in 2018, 2019 and 2024. In addition, Belarus boasts impressive statistics: 20 wins with just one loss.

Before the start of the tournament, Sobolenko shared:

- When you go to a place where you have achieved great victories, the feeling is very different. There is a feeling of home and complete comfort both in terms of playing conditions and in everything else. I am truly happy to be back in Wuhan.

Arina's only defeat in Wuhan came last season in the semifinals against Jessica Pegula. Before the start of the current tournament, the Belarusian and the American held joint training, but during the competitions they will be able to meet only in the final. In general, the Sobolenko grid promised to be difficult. Already in the second round, she could meet with Beijing champion Zheng Qinwen, and in the semifinals - with Mirra Andreeva. However, the Chinese and Russian withdrew from the tournament, as well as Coco Gauff, Linda Noskova and Elena Rybakina, noticeably facilitating the Belarusian path.

Now the first opponent of our tennis player will be American Anne Lee. Next, the Belarusian will meet with the strongest of the pair Janis Tien and Daria Snigur, who knocked out the semifinalist of the Beijing “thousanders” Eliza Mertens. In the quarterfinals, Sobolenko can wait for a test in the form of Iga Sventek. In the semifinals, among the potential rivals should be noted Maria Sakkari, who defeated the representative of the top 10 Martha Kostyuk, and Iva Jovic.

Wuhan is especially important for Sobolenko if she wants to compete for the title of the first racket of the world at the end of the season. Her minimum task is to reach the semifinals and defend last year's points. Ideally, the Belarusians need to win the tournament. Rybakina is still recovering from injury, so it is not known in what condition she will spend the rest of the season. Now the representative of Kazakhstan is announced for the competition in Ningbo, where she won the title last season, as well as for the WTA Final Tournament, where Arina also qualified.

At the same time, Sobolenko positively assesses the increased competition for leadership in the women's rating:

- I like our rivalry. I believe that not only Elena and I, but all the other tennis players help each other to become better. Sometimes you drop in the rankings, lose points or lose the final, but you learn from such failures. This season, I tried to learn from the hard losses and use them as an incentive to work on myself, to find new ways to progress and to return to the top.

This season, the Belarusian tennis player won three titles in Brisbane, Miami and Indian Wells. Whether Wuhan will complete this list will be known very soon. The major tournament in China lasts a week and ends on October 18.