The 2017 Wuhan Open is the fifth and final Premier 5 WTA tournament of the year. The first three Premier 5s were won by Elina Svitolina in Dubai, Rome, and Toronto, the fourth by Garbine Muguruza in Cincinnati. The arrival of fall often brings forth a different dynamic, when a lot of players get tired and other faces lurking in the shadows step forward and seize an opportunity. Will that happen in China?
The competition in the 56-player main draw begins on Sunday, September 24.
Event Details
Event: WTA Wuhan Open
Category: WTA Premier 5 Level
Date: September 24-30, 2017
Location: Optics Valley International Tennis Center – Wuhan, China
With a purse of just over $2.36 million, the WTA Wuhan tournament is not quite as rich as the North American hardcourt events in August, before the U.S. Open… but not by much. This is a Premier 5 level tournament, by any measure or standard a significant prize on tour. It comes before the Premier Mandatory showcase in Beijing, forming the month-long Asian swing which culminates in the WTA Finals in Singapore. The race for No. 1 has been complicated and wild throughout the year, and Wuhan is the first of three late-season tournaments which gives several players a chance to make a push for the top spot.
Points
Champion – 900
Runner-up – 585
Semifinal – 350
Quarterfinal – 190
Round of 16 – 105
Round of 32 – 60
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2016 – Petra Kvitova def. Dominika Cibulkova – 6-1, 6-1
2015 – Venus Williams def. Garbine Muguruza – 6-3, 3-0 (retired)
2014 – Petra Kvitova def. Eugenie Bouchard – 6-3, 6-4
Player Info:
Garbine Muguruza won Wimbledon and then cruised to the Premier 5 title in Cincinnati. She looked great through three rounds at the U.S. Open. Then Petra Kvitova took her down with a bold display of tennis in the fourth round. Muguruza lost, but she lost because a better player beat her. This was not a more typical Muguruza loss in which she came out flat and didn’t compete as well as she could have or should have. She is number one for the first time in her career. She has a great chance to become the player who takes control of the Asian swing and ends 2017 as the best women’s player in the world before Serena Williams returns in 2018.
Simona Halep suffered a very tough loss to Maria Sharapova at the U.S. Open. She will try to remove that bad taste from her mouth and make a strong push in the autumnal portion of the season. Everyone will wait to see what she does at the Grand Slams next year, but for now, Halep has no choice but to see what she can make of the next month.
Karolina Pliskova was No. 1, but lost in the U.S. Open quarterfinals and gave up the top ranking to Muguruza. She has played decent tennis, but not her very best. If she can rise to a higher level, she can set the stage for a huge 2018 season.
Caroline Wozniacki is the fourth seed in Wuhan. She made six finals earlier this year but lost in the second round of the U.S. Open. She will try to put that disappointment behind her and end her season in a way which will make her satisfied.
Madison Keys made the U.S. Open final, a career highlight. She beat Svitolina in the fourth round, one of the most important victories of her young career. The key for Keys has been health. Her wrists have stood up to the strain of tour competition. If she remains healthy, this and other late-season events will give her a chance to make a big climb up the rankings.
Speaking of climbs up the rankings, Sloane Stephens was ranked lower than 900 in July and is now in the top 20 after winning the U.S. Open following solid tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati. Her meteoric rise has been astonishing. She plays far more consistent tennis than she used to. She handles moments better. She doesn’t get down on herself. Everyone will be out to get her in China, but if she is composed and confident, she can fight off all challenges.
Optics Valley International Tennis Center
The Optics Valley International Tennis Center has a stadium court with 15,000 seats, a No. 2 show court with 5,000 seats plus six other adjacent courts to facilitate the operation of this 56-player tournament, especially on the first three days of the tournament before the round of 16.
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