Aryna Sabalenka is absolutely happy to have made it "a really tight" battle for the world No. 1 with Iga Swiatek but insists that she will do everything she can to continue with her current mindset and now allow herself to be distracted at the WTA Finals.
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On Sunday, Sabalenka bagged her third Wuhan title but also 1,000 ranking points after beating Zheng Qinwen 6-4 5-7 6-3 in the final.
After Wimbledon, the Pole was still significantly ahead of the current world No. 2. But since then, Sabalenka has won the US Open, as well as the WTA 1000 tournaments in Wuhan and Cincinnati. And now, Swiatek - who missed Beijing and Wuhan - is just 69 ranking points ahead of her biggest rival.
Since it is a very small margin, it is clear that the battle for the top spot will come down to who does better at the WTA Finals in Riyadh between November 02-09.
"Yeah, that's really tight ranking right now. Really nice to see. I always say of course it's one of the goals, but I prefer to focus on myself and just keep working hard. We'll see after the Finals if I was good enough this season to become world No. 1," the 26-year-old Belarusian said.
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Sabalenka on how she handled the Wuhan crowd and prevented Zheng's comeback
Although Zheng has been having by far her best and most successful year on the Tour, there was no doubt that the top-seeded Belarusian would be the favorite in the Wuhan final. And after the three-time Grand Slam champion went up by a set and a break, the No. 5 seed appeared to be done.
But then, the Chinese tennis star recovered from a set and a break down to force a decider before ultimately falling just short of completing a comeback.
"It was tough match. I was up with a break in the second set, then I just lost my focus for a little bit. It became a three-set match. But it was a great level match, it was a great fight. Of course, I'm super happy to win this beautiful trophy," Sabalenka reflected.
Since Wuhan is Zheng's hometown and the 22-year-old is currently the biggest name in Chinese tennis, it was a safe bet that the stands would be full. And it got especially loud when the Paris Olympics gold medalist managed to steal the second set.
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However, Sabalenka knew how to react.
"I'm not really focusing on the crowd when they're against me anymore. I don't really hear them. I'm just focusing on myself and my team. I'm trying to stay focused and keep thinking what I have to do on court, like just thinking about tactics, technical issues. Yeah, that's it. I think that match against Coco 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. Right now if the crowd is against me, I'm okay with that. I don't really hear them. I'm focusing on different things, yeah," the 26-year-old said.
Sabalenka on Zheng's improvement
By beating the 22-year-old in Wuhan, the Belarusian improved to 4-0 in their head-to-head. Believe it or not, only this past Sunday, Zheng managed to break Sabalenka's serve for the first time.
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Previously, the Belarusian beat the Chinese 6-1 6-4 at the 2023 US Open - claimed a 6-3 6-2 victory in this year's Australian Open final - and also won their 2024 US Open clash 6-1 6-2.
In Wuhan, it was definitely the highest of the battles they have had so far. And afterward, the three-time Grand Slam winner made sure to send some praise Zheng's way.
"I would say that compared to the last year, we met at the US Open, compared to this year, she definitely improved. There is more consistency in her game. Probably playing a little bit more aggressive. I think she improved her backhand a little bit. There are definitely improvements. She's moving well, serving well. I see the improvements," Sabalenka said.
"I'm really glad that still with these improvements I'm able to get these wins against her. We play three big matches against each other. I'm really happy that I'm still able to get these wins. As I said I think at the beginning of the tournament, I'll keep working hard make sure, even if she's improving, I'm going to be improving more, and I'll get more wins against her in the future."
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After winning three of their last big four tournaments played, the 26-year-old absolutely enters the WTA Finals as the top favorite for the title.
If Sabalenka wins the event in Riyadh, she will claim her maiden WTA Finals title but also finish the year as the world No. 1.
