Grand Slam champions withdrawing one after another, is the Wuhan Open facing a difficult situation?

The 2025 China Open women's event is progressing toward its last few rounds. As a combined tournament with both men's and women's draws, the men's singles title has been secured. Former men's world No.1 Sinner crushed this year's breakout player Leandro Riedi 6-2, 6-2, marking his third straight final appearance in Beijing and earning his second championship at this venue.

Although Leandro Riedi showed limited strategies against Sinner in the final, his path to the championship match was quite impressive. He defeated Cerundolo and Copil, pushed Musetti to a deciding set before Musetti retired, and also battled Medvedev until the opponent withdrew due to cramping. This young player born in the 2000s holds great promise for the future.

After his victory, Sinner carried his excellent form into the Shanghai Masters. With top seed Alcaraz withdrawing, Sinner became the highest seed at the Shanghai event. If he wins the title there, he will gain an advantageous position in the race for the year-end world No.1 ranking against Alcaraz.

The men's event has concluded, while the women's singles quarterfinals are taking place today. As a WTA 1000 tournament with a 128-player draw, the China Open and Wuhan Open occur almost back-to-back, which often affects the player lineups of the Wuhan Open, also a WTA 1000 event.

The current withdrawal list for the Wuhan Open includes well-known players such as Keys, Krejcikova, Pliskova, Svitolina, Badosa, Van Uytvanck, Bouzas, and Maia, among others, many of whom are Grand Slam champions.

Meanwhile, after nearly a full season of competition, it is inevitable that professional players face various injury issues.

Nevertheless, the Wuhan Open entry list still shines with star power. The top eight seeds include Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Anisimova, Andreescu, Pegula, Paolini, and Zheng Qinwen. Additionally, fan favorites like Sabalenka, Osaka Naomi, Navarro, and Raducanu are also participating.

Last year’s Wuhan Open women's singles champion was Sabalenka (runner-up was Zheng Qinwen). Although she missed the China Open this year due to injury, she has already announced her intention to compete in Wuhan and defend her title. Having won the Wuhan trophy three consecutive times before, who do you think is the strongest contender for this year’s Wuhan Open championship?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Barbie)