Dates, draws, prize money and everything you need to know

Making its long-awaited return, the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open is back on the calendar for the first time since 2019, where it will be the final WTA 1000 event of this season.

The seventh edition of the tournament is scheduled to feature 17 of the Top 20 players in the PIF WTA Singles Rankings. Wuhan will be the second consecutive WTA 1000 event on tour in China, following the China Open in Beijing.

Wuhan: Scores | Order of Play | Draws

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek is lined up to be the No.1 seed in her Wuhan debut. However, World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka is hot on her heels in a showdown for the year-end No.1 ranking.

Sabalenka has been dominant in Wuhan, taking the title in each of the past two editions, in 2018 and 2019. She has never lost a match at the tournament.

The world’s top two players lead an event which will hold an important part in determining who will qualify for the year-end WTA Finals Riyadh. Swiatek and Sabalenka are the only singles qualifiers so far, with six more spots still up for grabs.

Here are the fast facts as Wuhan returns to center stage:

When does the tournament start?

Main-draw play at Wuhan kicks off on Monday, Oct. 7. The weeklong event wraps up on Sunday, Oct. 13.

Singles qualifying takes place the weekend before, on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6.

The Head Tour Regular Duty ball will be used at the event.

Wuhan is on China Standard Time (GMT +8, Eastern Time +12).

How big are the fields?

There will be 56 players competing in the singles main draw, with the top eight seeds receiving first-round byes. There will be eight qualifiers and four wild cards.

The doubles draw will contain 28 teams, with the top four seeds receiving first-round byes. Three wild-card teams will be part of that draw.

When are the finals?

The singles final will take place Sunday, Oct. 13 not before 5 p.m. local time. The doubles final will be earlier that day at 2:30 p.m. local.

When are the draws?

The singles draw will take place on Saturday, Oct. 5 and is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. local time. The doubles draw will be revealed on Saturday, Oct. 5.

Who are the defending champions?

Sabalenka is 12-0 in Wuhan. She defeated Alison Riske-Amritraj in the 2019 final 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

The 2019 doubles champions Duan Yingying and Veronika Kudermetova defeated Sabalenka and Elise Mertens in the final, 7-6(3), 6-2.

What are the ranking points and prize money on offer in the singles main draw?

First round: 10 points | $14,846
Second round: 65 points | $20,714
Round of 16: 120 points | $36,568
Quarterfinals: 215 points | $73,193
Semifinals: 390 points | $159,439
Finalist: 650 points | $309,280
Champion: 1000 points | $525,115

Who is playing?

Here are stats for the projected Top 8 seeds:

1. Iga Swiatek
Ranking: No.1 (career-high No.1)
Career singles titles: 22 (5 this year)
Best Wuhan Open result: Tournament debut

2. Aryna Sabalenka
Ranking: No.2 (career-high No.1)
Career singles titles: 16 (3 this year)
Career main-draw win-loss record at Wuhan Open: 12-0
Best Wuhan Open result: Champion (2018, 2019)

3. Jessica Pegula
Ranking: No.3 (career-high No.3)
Career singles titles: 6 (2 this year)
Career main-draw win-loss record at Wuhan Open: 0-1
Best Wuhan Open result: First round (2019)

4. Jasmine Paolini
Ranking: No.5 (career-high No.5)
Career singles titles: 2 (1 this year)
Best Wuhan Open result: Tournament debut

5. Coco Gauff
Ranking: No.6 (career-high No.2)
Career singles titles: 7 (1 this year)
Best Wuhan Open result: Tournament debut

6. Zheng Qinwen
Ranking: No.7 (career-high No.7)
Career singles titles: 4 (2 this year)
Best Wuhan Open result: Lost in qualifying (2019)

7. Emma Navarro
Ranking: No.8 (career-high No.8)
Career singles titles: 1 (1 this year)
Best Wuhan Open result: Tournament debut

8. Barbora Krejcikova
Ranking: No.10 (career-high No.2)
Career singles titles: 8 (1 this year)
Best Wuhan Open result: Tournament debut

Sabalenka is the only previous Wuhan champion entered. Former champions Petra Kvitova (2014, 2016) and Venus Williams (2015) are not playing, and Caroline Garcia (2017) withdrew from the main-draw entries with a continuing right shoulder injury.

Among the other withdrawals are Elena Rybakina (back injury), Danielle Collins (illness), Jelena Ostapenko (continued abdominal injury), Ons Jabeur (shoulder injury), Victoria Azarenka (continuing injury), Elina Svitolina (continuing injury), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (back injury) and Karolina Pliskova (foot injury).

The main-draw entry cutoff was based on the rankings from Sept. 9. Along with Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, other Chinese players who have received direct entry are Yuan Yue, Wang Xinyu and Zhang Shuai. Zhang Shuai is using her protected ranking of No.48.

How did last year’s Asian swing play out?

Here’s a look at 2023’s champions and finalists from this portion of the season in Asia:

Osaka (WTA 250): Ashlyn Krueger def. Zhu Lin
Guangzhou (WTA 250): Wang Xiyu def. Magda Linette

Tokyo (WTA 500): Veronika Kudermetova def. Jessica Pegula
Ningbo (WTA 250): Ons Jabeur def. Diana Schneider

Beijing (WTA 1000): Iga Swiatek def. Liudmila Samsonova

Zhengzhou (WTA 500): Zheng Qinwen def. Barbora Krejcikova
Hong Kong (WTA 250): Leylah Fernandez def. Katerina Siniakova

Seoul (WTA 250): Jessica Pegula def. Yuan Yue
Nanchang (WTA 250): Katerina Siniakova def. Maria Bouzkova

WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai: Beatriz Haddad Maia def. Zheng Qinwen