The 2024 Wuhan Open is the final WTA 1000 tournament of the season, and the prize money and points distribution have been revealed.
Fans in Wuhan will be incredibly excited for this year's iteration of the tournament because it is being held for the first time in five years. Stringent COVID-19 restrictions led to the event being canceled from 2020 to 2023.
The 2024 Wuhan Open, held from October 7th to 13th, will be the event's seventh edition. Petra Kvitova won the tournament in 2014 and 2016, Caroline Garcia claimed the title in 2017, while Venus Williams beat Garbine Muguruza in the 2015 final.
Aryna Sabalenka won the Wuhan Open in 2018 and 2019 before the tournament was suspended for five years. The conditions of the previous iterations were fast, and they suited the world's No. 2 game.
Sabalenka hopes to bounce back in Wuhan after losing to Karolina Muchova at the China Open despite leading in the final set. It continued Muchova's excellent form after her run to the US Open semifinal.
This year's Wuhan Open will also be the first time it is played with WTA 1000 status. The previous editions were WTA 500-level tournaments, meaning the 2024 iteration should be the best yet.
Unfortunately, world No. 1 Iga Swiatek withdrew from the Wuhan Open after announcing she and her coach of three years had stopped working together. This means the five-time Grand Slam champion needs time to find and start working with her coach.
However, many top players, including Sabalenka, are still on the entry list, and all the players will fight for their share of a substantial prize money purse to be distributed among all the women in the main draw.
The 2024 Wuhan Open will receive $525,115 and 1000 ranking points for being the week's best player. Sabalenka needs those 1000 points more than previously to try and overtake Swiatek at world No. 1 before the end of the year.
This year's runner-up at the Wuhan Open will have $309,280 added to their bank account and get 650 ranking points. Alison Riske was the runner-up when the tournament was last played in 2019.
Although all the players want to win the title, just getting to the semifinal could be pivotal for those trying to qualify for the WTA Finals. Swiatek and Sabalenka are the only women to officially book their spots in Riyadh.
The defeated semifinalists at the 2024 Wuhan Open will be rewarded with $159,439 and 390 points. This is an impressive reward and ample incentive for players to complete as many rounds as possible.
215 ranking points and $73,193 are on offer for the players who fall in the quarterfinals. In WTA 1000 events, one of the players in the draw usually makes a surprise run to the quarterfinals. Shuai Zhang was that player at the China Open.
$36,568 and 120 points will be given to the women who make the round of 16, 65 points and $20,714 to those who reach the second round, and 10 points and $14,846 to players who lose in the opening round.
2024 Wuhan Open WTA Prize Money & Points Overview:
| Points | Prize Money | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1000 points | $525,115 |
| Finalist | 650 points | $309,280 |
| Semi-finalists | 390 points | $159,439 |
| Quarter-finalists | 215 points | $73,193 |
| 3rd round | 120 points | $36,568 |
| 2nd round | 65 points | $20,714 |
| 1st round | 10 points | $14,846 |
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