The Wuhan Open is the tenth and final WTA 1000 event of 2024, and the entry list has been released.
Running from October 7th to 13th in Wuhan, China, it is the second 1000 tournament in Asia on the WTA Tour after the China Open in Beijing. The action in Wuhan begins the day after the event in Beijing ends.
The Wuhan Open was first held in 2014, adding to the WTA Tour's growing emphasis on the Asian swing. Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova won the first iteration of the event.
The Czech claimed the title in Wuhan for a second time in 2016. US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka is the only player to win back-to-back titles, achieving this in 2018 and 2019. Venus Williams and Caroline Garcia are the other former winners.
However, the Wuhan Open has not been held since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chinese government implemented stringent restrictions, meaning the tournament was canceled from 2020 until 2023.
Unsurprisingly, the entry list for the event next month is superb. WTA 1000 tournaments are mandatory, meaning fans are always treated to the top players in the women's game taking to the court.
There will also be many exciting storylines to follow in Wuhan. These include the fight to finish as the year-end world No. 1 and players attempting to qualify for the year-end WTA Finals.
Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka are battling for the year-end world No. 1 ranking. After winning the US Open title, the Belarusian significantly narrowed the gap to Swiatek.
The close race to finish No. 1 probably explains why the Pole considered playing at the Korea Open. But Swiatek decided to withdraw from the event in Seoul, weakening the field for the tournament.
The Wuhan Open could also be pivotal in deciding which players qualify for the WTA Finals. Swiatek and Sabalenka have already booked their places, but the remaining places are up for grabs.
Barbora Krejcikova is in a strong position. Winning the title at Wimbledon means she only needs to finish inside the Top 20 to qualify, and after new rules were introduced this year. The Czech is very likely to qualify.
Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and Jasmine Paolini are also close to qualifying and may have secured their places at the year-end tournament in Riyadh by the time the Wuhan Open begins.
Coco Gauff and Emma Navarro currently hold the final two places. Danielle Collins and Qinwen Zheng are the two closest players to them. If they have strong results in Asia, they could still make it to Riyadh.
Jelena Ostapenko is the next lowest player, but the Latvian would need excellent results in Asia to have a chance of qualifying for the WTA Finals. Collins and Zheng are the players most likely to overtake Gauff or Navarro.
The race for the WTA Finals will be clearer by the time the Wuhan Open begins. Those intriguing storylines and the superb entry list mean it is a tournament that fans should watch closely.
2024 Wuhan Open WTA Players' Entry List:
| Seed | Player | Entry Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iga Swiatek | 1 |
| 2 | Aryna Sabalenka | 2 |
| 3 | Jessica Pegula | 3 |
| 4 | Elena Rybakina | 4 |
| 5 | Jasmine Paolini | 5 |
| 6 | Coco Gauff | 6 |
| 7 | Qinwen Zheng | 7 |
| 8 | Emma Navarro | 8 |
| Barbora Krejcikova | 9 | |
| Maria Sakkari | 10 | |
| Danielle Collins | 11 | |
| Jelena Ostapenko | 12 | |
| Daria Kasatkina | 13 | |
| Anna Kalinskaya | 14 | |
| Liudmila Samsonova | 15 | |
| Beatriz Haddad Maia | 16 | |
| Diana Shnaider | 17 | |
| Marta Kostyuk | 18 | |
| Victoria Azarenka | 19 | |
| Paula Badosa | 20 | |
| Donna Vekic | 21 | |
| Ons Jabeur | 22 | |
| Mirra Andreeva | 23 | |
| Madison Keys | 24 | |
| Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova | 25 | |
| Leylah Fernandez | 26 | |
| Elina Svitolina | 28 | |
| Yulia Putintseva | 29 | |
| Caroline Garcia | 30 | |
| Ekaterina Alexandrova | 31 | |
| Elise Mertens | 32 | |
| Dayana Yastremska | 34 | |
| Katie Boulter | 35 | |
| Anastasia Potapova | 36 | |
| Katerina Siniakova | 37 | |
| Yue Yuan | 38 | |
| Lulu Sun | 39 | |
| Karolina Pliskova | 40 | |
| Magda Linette | 41 | |
| Veronika Kudermetova | 42 | |
| Magdalena Frech | 43 | |
| Caroline Dolehide | 44 | |
| Ajla Tomljanovic | 33 (SR) |
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