Wuhan Open: Zheng Qinwen beats compatriot Wang Xinyu to reach final against Aryna Sabalenka
Olympic champion becomes first Chinese player to reach WTA 1000 final on home soil; world No 1 Sinner to face Djokovic in Shanghai final
Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen has become the first Chinese player to reach a WTA 1000 final on home soil after she beat compatriot Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the final of the Wuhan Open, her fourth final of the season.
The fifth-seeded Zheng will in Sunday’s final face top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who fought back from a set down to beat Coco Gauff 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the Wuhan Open final for the third time.
It will be a rematch of the Australian Open final, which Sabalenka won earlier this season.
“I never imagined that my first WTA 1000 final would happen here in Wuhan,” said Zheng, who was born in Hubei province and moved to Wuhan when she was a child.
“Today was a very tough match – Xinyu played really well. The crowd was very supportive and fair to both of us.”
A champion in Wuhan in 2018 and 2019, Sabalenka improved her perfect record in the tournament to 16-0 and has now won 19 of her last 20 matches, a stretch that includes titles in Cincinnati and at the US Open.
