WTA China Open 2024: Top Three title favourites in Iga Swiatek's absence

Iga Swiatek defeated Liudmila Samsonova to win the 2023 China Open.

After US Open 2024, the race to the WTA Finals has got compact. Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have already qualified for the Finals, while some changes in the top eight are expected to unfold. The WTA China Open 2024 is scheduled from September 25 to October 6. However, multiple top tennis stars have already withdrawn from the WTA 1000 event.

One such name that has withdrawn from the competition is defending champion Iga Swiatek. As a result, fans can witness a new champion in Beijing, and here are the top three names who can be crowned in the Chinese capital:

Players favourite to win WTA China Open 2024

3. Qinwen Zheng

The 2024 Olympic gold medallist will have a great opportunity to win a WTA 1000 title on her home ground. Qinwen Zheng is more likely to be a dark horse in the race to win the WTA China Open 2024. However, courtesy of Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina’s withdrawal from the tournament, multiple surprises are expected in the draw.

Last year, she lost to Rybakina 6-1, 6-2 in the first round. A decent performance in Beijing will confirm her place in the WTA Finals, with her closest rival Danielle Collins also withdrawing from the event due to an injury.

2. Jessica Pegula

Jessica Pegula’s hardcourt campaign got on track after she won the 2024 Canadian Open by stunning Amanda Anisimova in the final. She later ended up as the runner-up at the Cincinnati Masters and the US Open, losing to Aryna Sabalenka on both occasions. However, she also pulled up victories over the likes of Iga Swiatek and Paula Badosa.

Pegula recently played her first Grand Slam final, and following her run at Flushing Meadows, she has gone past Rybakina, Jasmine Paolini, and Coco Gauff in the WTA rankings. The 30-year-old will be seeded second in Beijing and will be on the opposite end of her recent kryptonite Aryna Sabalenka, meaning they can only meet in the final.

ALSO READ: Top five players who have pulled out of WTA China Open 2024

1. Aryna Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka defended her title at the 2024 Australian Open without dropping a single set. She took down Qinwen Zheng in the final comfortably. However, the World No. #2 struggled to reach even the quarterfinals in the tournament that followed. Later in the clay season, she lost to Swiatek in the finals of the Madrid Open and the Rome Masters.

Sabalenka also faced fitness issues during the French Open before pulling out of the Wimbledon Championships due to a rare shoulder pain. However, she finally found her feet stable on the tour at the Cincinnati Masters, where she won the title. The 26-year-old also won the 2024 US Open, and in the absence of defending champion Iga Swiatek, she has a golden opportunity to win the title at WTA China Open 2024.

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