The final WTA 1000 event of the season is underway already in Wuhan, China. It’s a rare 1000-level event played in the old format, with just 16 seeds and a 56-woman draw unfolding over seven days.
Top players have been dropping like flies as a host of pre-tournament withdrawals hit the 2025 Wuhan Open. Will a dark horse capitalize on the shorter format and thinner draw this week? Or are Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek destined to write the next chapter in their rivalry?
We dig into each quarter and analyze each seed’s chances, giving our quarter-by-quarter and final weekend predictions for the WTA 1000 in Wuhan.
Wuhan Open WTA 1000 draw
The Wuhan Open began on October 6th, but with the top eight seeds getting a bye into the second round, there’s still plenty to analyze in the draw ahead of day two.
Quarter one
Seeds
- Aryna Sabalenka (1)
- Elena Rybakina (8)
- Naomi Osaka (11)
- Liudmila Samsonova (16)
Matches to watch
- Osaka vs Leylah Fernandez (R1)
The top quarter in Wuhan is a strong one. Sabalenka returns to the WTA Tour after taking a month-long break following her US Open title. She’s joined by the big-hitting Rybakina and the rising Osaka, as well as the mercurial Samsonova. Recent Beijing finalist Linda Noskova also lurks in this section, as does the improving American McCartney Kessler.
While Osaka and Rybakina firing on all cylinders can threaten Sabalenka, we’re confident the Belarusian will win this quarter. Rybakina has been too unreliable in 2025, while Osaka hasn’t stepped up in the big matches. Combine this with the fact that Sabalenka has been a model of consistency and will be arriving in Wuhan refreshed, and there’s a strong case to be made for Sabalenka cruising through this section, despite its depth.
Our prediction: Sabalenka beats Osaka
Quarter two
Seeds
- Amanda Anisimova (4) – withdrew
- Jessica Pegula (6)
- Ekaterina Alexandrova (9)
Matches to watch
- Alexandrova vs Emma Raducanu (R2)
Quarter two couldn’t be more different. It’s wide open after Beijing champion Anisimova withdrew, and No 15 seed Diana Shnaider lost first round. That means Pegula and Alexandrova are the only top-25 players remaining in this section already. Emma Raducanu is the next-best, with the Brit yet to win back-to-back matches since New York.
Both Pegula and Alexandrova have reasonable hard-court form recently: Pegula making the US Open and Beijing semis, while Alexandrova pushed Swiatek to a deciding set in the Seoul final last month. The two are on track for a third-round meeting, the winner of which should make it out of the quarter.
Our prediction: Pegula beats Siniakova
Quarter three
Seeds
- Coco Gauff (3)
- Mirra Andreeva (5)
- Karolina Muchova (12)
- Emma Navarro (14)
Matches to watch
- Navarro vs Jelena Ostapenko (R2)
Gauff, Andreeva, Muchova and Navarro headline a much more competitive third quarter in Wuhan. Since winning Roland-Garros, Gauff has been far from her best; equally, she’s managed to string matches together at every event since the WTA Tour returned to hard courts. She’ll come to Wuhan eager to make amends too, after receiving a 6-1, 6-2 thrashing in the Beijing semi-finals.
We’re not convinced she’ll get out of this quarter, however. The American has a gauntlet to run of Moyuka Uchijma, Navarro and then likely Andreeva. While she should see off Uchijima, we’re tipping either Navarro or Andreeva to get the better of her.
Our money, instead, is on Andreeva. It’s been a few months since the teen set the WTA Tour alight, but these are the kinds of events where her youthful enthusiasm are key. She’ll see this as an opportunity to add to her trophy cabinet while other players are burnt out.
Our prediction: Andreeva beats Navarro
Quarter four
Seeds
- Iga Swiatek (2)
- Jasmine Paolini (7)
- Clara Tauson (10)
- Belinda Bencic (13)
Matches to watch
- Swiatek vs Marie Bouzkova
The bottom quarter in Wuhan is headed by Swiatek and Paolini, with seeds Tauson and Bencic in the mix too. There are no big unseeded threats, making this a very straight forward quarter for us.
Swiatek has been one of the best players in the world the past three months, if not the best player. Ahead of her loss in the Beijing round-of-16 last week, she was 28-3 since the start of the grass season, with titles at Wimbledon, Cincinnati and Seoul. While Paolini brings her own form – a six-match winning streak from the BJK Cup Finals through to the Beijing quarter-finals – it’s hard to see the Italian threatening Swiatek here.
Our prediction: Swiatek beats Paolini
Final weekend predictions for 2025 Wuhan Open
- Semi – Sabalenka beats Pegula
- Semi – Andreeva beats Swiatek
- Final – Sabalenka beats Andreeva
We’re tipping a refreshed Sabalenka to go all the way this weekend in Wuhan. Check our recommended betting sites if you wish to wager on the tournament.
Conditions are perfect for the Belarusian to claim her 10th WTA 1000 title – world No 1 and a Grand Slam have already been locked up for 2025, so there’s zero pressure. She’s well-rested and has had time to fine tune her game on the practice court. She’ll be happy to empty the tank here, given the end of the season is in sight, too. Oh and there’s every chance that Sabalenka will face Pegula in the semis, a player she owns an 8-2 head-to-head against.
As for her opponent in the final, we predict Andreeva to shake off a sticky patch of form and upset Swiatek in the semi-finals. Simply put, the Russian will be hungrier and feel she has more to prove at this stage of the season. She’s won the last two meetings against Swiatek as well, which helps.
But don’t expect her to add to her win tally against Sabalenka in the final.
