Aryna Sabalenka says where her game has improved the most after beating Qinwen Zheng to win the Wuhan Open

The Belarusian was in danger of suffering a defeat in the Chinese city for the first time last week, but she showed great resolve and resiliency to find a way to win the tile once again.

Three of her five matches went to three sets, including her battle against the Olympic champion in the final.

But Sabalenka continued her scintillating form and has now won three of her last four tournaments as she pursues the year-end number one spot.

What has Aryna Sabalenka improved most in her game?

Aryna Sabalenka has always been a player known for her incredible power which overwhelmed many of her opponents.

But the 26-year-old had plenty of struggles on serve and at times let her emotions get the better of her which cost her matches.

But the World number two has significantly improved these areas of her game, and she now possesses plenty of variety, which has made her even tougher to beat.

“I improved a lot. I can come to the net and I can finish points and then I can use my touch. I got some variation in my pocket, Sabalenka told the WTA Insider Podcast.

“I just kept telling myself that if you’re not going to be able to hit the ball, you’re going to be able to slice, play drop shots and come to the net. I was just reminding myself that I have a lot of weapons, not only hitting the ball.”

Who did Aryna Sabalenka beat to win the 2024 Wuhan Open?

Following a quarter-final defeat in Beijing, Sabalenka stressed the importance of doing well in Wuhan, which was her final tournament before November’s season-ending WTA Finals.

She defeated Kateřina Siniaková in the opening round, but it was not her strongest performance and in the next round she found herself a set down against Yulia Putintseva.

Sabalenka quickly turned things around and lost four more games for the rest of the match, and she hit her stride against Magdalena Fręch in the fourth round by claiming a 6-2, 6-2 win.

Sabalenka took on Coco Gauff in the Wuhan semi-finals and the American began the contest by playing arguably the best set of tennis in her career so far.

But while winning 6-1, 4-2, the 20-year-old’s serve let her down, as he served 18 double faults, nine each in sets two and three.

This allowed Sabalenka back into the match and she escaped with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 win. In the final she was pushed to three sets by Zheng for the first time, but Sabalenka was able to repel her advances and secure a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win to claim her fourth title of the season.