2025 Wuhan Open WTA Entry List: Sabalenka, Gauff, Swiatek & more

Among the highlights of the WTA Tour's packed Asian swing will be the 2025 Wuhan Open, a 1000-level tournament, scheduled from October 6th to 13th.

Since last year, all WTA 1000 tournaments have been mandatory. That helps to ensure superb entry lists, although players still sometimes skip 1000-level events if they are fatigued, especially after a deep run somewhere the previous week.

The Wuhan Open was first played in 2014. Petra Kvitova, who retired at the 2025 US Open, won the maiden iteration. She defeated Eugenie Bouchard in a repeat of that year's Wimbledon final, also won by the Czech.

Kvitova also won the title in 2016, Venus Williams triumphed in 2015, Caroline Garcia, who retired at this year's US Open, won the tournament in 2017, and Aryna Sabalenka claimed the 2018 and 2019 titles.

The tournament was then not played from 2020 to 2023 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence suggests that the virus originated in Wuhan, which meant the event did not return in 2023 like the China Open in Beijing.

Aryna Sabalenka took home her third consecutive title last year. The Belarusian overcame home hero Qinwen Zheng 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in a thrilling and dramatic battle that was high-quality from start to finish.

The WTA world No. 1 will undoubtedly start the 2025 Wuhan Open as the favorite. Her record at the tournament would be enough to justify that label, but she has also been the best hard court player since 2023.

Sabalenka should enter the Asian swing with much confidence after winning a second US Open title, and her fourth Grand Slam overall. That success meant a lot to her after two brutal Grand Slam final losses in the deciding set earlier this year.

Coco Gauff inflicted one of those defeats on Sabalenka at the French Open. However, she has struggled to build on that success and crashed out of the US Open in the fourth round after falling in Wimbledon's opening round a few weeks previously.

Gauff might take confidence from being in a similar position at this stage last year. After an unsuccessful few months, she split from Brad Gilbert after the 2024 US Open, but then finished the season with titles at the WTA Finals and China Open and a semifinal run in Wuhan.

The 2025 Wuhan Open could be crucial in deciding who the year-end No. 1 is. Iga Swiatek has a realistic chance of reclaiming the spot she lost to Sabalenka in October after winning Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Open in the last two months.

The six-time Grand Slam winner has very few points to defend until the end of the season due to being provisionally suspended during last year's Asian swing (she ultimately served a one-month ban), making this year's swing even more fascinating.

It will also be interesting to observe Amanda Anisimova's progress in Wuhan and at all tournaments for the rest of 2025. The 23-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season by reaching the Wimbledon and US Open finals, but losing both could be tough to bounce back from.

Mirra Andreeva, Elena Rybakina, Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu, and Paula Badosa are among the other players on the Wuhan Open entry list.