Aryna Sabalenka could make WTA history at the Wuhan Open this year which would put her name among some of the greats.
Sabalenka withdrew from the China Open, and has not played a single match since winning her fourth major title at the US Open.
However, the world number one is now gearing up to make her return at the Wuhan Open, where Sabalenka is the defending champion.
Not only is Sabalenka looking to defend her title, but she will be looking to achieve a historic feat that only three WTA players have achieved in history.
Aryna Sabalenka is looking to win her fourth consecutive title at the Wuhan Open
Sabalenka won the 2024 edition of the Wuhan Open, which was actually her third consecutive title at the event after also winning it in 2018 and 2019, before the tournament had a five-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Belarusian has won 17 consecutive matches in Wuhan, and will now be seeking a fourth consecutive title at the WTA 1000 tournament.
WTA 1000 tournaments were first held in 1988 and have only seen three players win the same tournament in four consecutive years.
Someone who is no stranger to being dominant is Steffi Graf, who is the only player to achieve the Golden Slam.
At her home WTA 1000 tournament in Berlin, Graf won four consecutive titles between 1991 and 1994.
Graf’s reign was actually not ended by another player and instead a strained calf muscle that forced her to withdraw from the tournament.
In her return to the tournament one year later in 1996, Graf would once again win the title and extend her winning streak at the German Open.
The start of the next reign actually began before Graf’s ended, with Conchita Martinez, who is now Mirra Andreeva’s coach, at the Italian Open.
Martinez won her first Italian Open title in 1993 and would win the title every year until 1997, where she was beaten by Mary Pierce in the final.
There was something in the waters in the 1990s, as Monica Seles conjured up a dominant run at the Canadian Open.
Like Martinez, Seles’ bid for a fifth consecutive title was also ended in the final, as she was beaten by Martina Hingis in 1999.
One notable absence from this list is 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, who was never able to win four consecutive titles at one WTA 1000 tournament.
The closest Williams came to achieving this was at the Miami Open, where she twice won the title three years in a row.
| Steffi Graf | Conchita Martinez | Monica Seles | |
| WTA 1000 tournament they have won four times in a row | German Open (1991-94) | Italian Open (1993-1996) | Canadian Open (1995-98) |
| Player who ended their reign | Did not play 1995 tournament | Mary Pierce (1997 final) | Martina Hingis (1999 final) |
Aryna Sabalenka’s potential path to history at the Wuhan Open
Sabalenka has never lost at the Wuhan Open, but she faces a tough draw ahead of her return to the WTA Tour.
After receiving a bye to the second round as the top seed, Sabalenka could play former world number 11 Anna Kalinskaya.
Some of the other threats in her half include Elena Rybakina, Naomi Osaka, Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova, who has caused Sabalenka problems before and is coming off the back of winning the China Open.
| Wuhan Open 2025 | Aryna Sabalenka’s Potential Draw |
| First Round | Receives a bye as the top seed |
| Second Round | Anna Kalinskaya/Rebecca Sramkova |
| Third Round | Liudmila Samsonova (16)/Sofia Kenin/Anastasia Zakharova/Emiliana Arango |
| Quarterfinal | Elena Rybakina (8)/Naomi Osaka (11)/Linda Noskova/Leylah Fernandez |
| Semifinal | Amanda Anisimova (4)/Jessica Pegula (6)/Ekaterina Alexandrova (9)/Emma Raducanu |
| Final | Iga Swiatek (2)/Coco Gauff (3)/Mirra Andreeva (5)/Jasmine Paolini (7) |
If Sabalenka is able to reach her fourth consecutive final at the Wuhan Open she could play the likes of Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.
The three-time Wuhan Open champion will look to continue her 17-match winning streak when she returns to the match court on Wednesday, October 8.
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