It returns after a five-year hiatus. “We are excited to reignite the thrill of competitive tennis”

It returns after a five-year hiatus. “We are excited to reignite the thrill of competitive tennis”

The women’s tennis tournament in Wuhan (China), one of the ten WTA 1,000 tournaments worldwide, will be played this fall, for the first time since 2019, the organizers announced on Wednesday.

The competition will take place between October 7-13 at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center, which has a central court with a retractable roof and can accommodate over 13,000 spectators.

“We are delighted to announce the return of the WTA 1,000 event to Wuhan and to reignite the thrill of elite tennis competition in one of Asia’s most vibrant cities,” said Jorge Salkeld, Vice President of Octagon Tennis.

As the capital of Hubei province, the home province of retired two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na and current player Zheng Qinwen (world number seven), the city of Wuhan has witnessed the exponential growth of tennis’ popularity over the past two decades.

The inaugural edition of the Wuhan tournament was held in 2014 and was won by Czech Petra Kvitova, after a final with Canadian Eugenie Bouchard.

Its last two editions, contested in 2018 and 2019, ended with the victory of the Belarusian Arina Sabalenka.