Aryna Sabalenka is the talk of the tennis town again. And before you start guessing, it’s not because of one of her extraordinary on-court endeavors. In fact, it has to do with her elegance-exuding presence at the 2024 Wuhan Open Reception. In the event attended by over 50 players of the Wuhan Open, the 26-year-old took the biggest share of the limelight owing to her jaw-dropping looks.

The former world number one graced the party in a matching sleeveless top and classic trousers – complementing the chic look with a golden watch. The confident expression on the player’s face undoubtedly made her seem ramp-ready. Sabalenka did take the lion’s share of attention, but it would be wrong to say, her colleagues didn’t spin some eyes.

The multitude of styles we got to witness at the Wuhan Open player’s party can’t be compared to anything else we have seen before. The players didn’t seem to stick to a theme – and their outfits ranged from formal apricot dresses to pajamas and shorts. The players’ unusually stylish variety couldn’t escape the attentive eyes of the fans. One of them on Reddit wrote, “You know it’s a WTA Players’ party when there’s 50 players attending and no one looks like they’re going to the same event.”

Well, the fan’s comment summed it up well. The players were all smiles during the party. Donna Vekic appeared in a black bomber jacket while Jessica Pegula was seen rocking an elegant grey dress. Daria Kasatkina looked casually beautiful in an oversized t-shirt tucked in grey denim, while Leylah Fernandez looked in high spirits in a black dress and denim jacket.

The players including Sabalenka are currently in action in Wuhan. And, the opportunity the world no. 2 is eyeing is the one she has been waiting for a long time.

Kill-two-birds-with-a-stone opportunity for Aryna Sabalenka: Wuhan Championship & No. 1 Title

Wuhan Open is returning to the WTA Tour following a hiatus of five years. In the last edition in 2019, Aryna Sabalenka lifted the trophy after defeating Alison Riske 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. She was the winner the year before as well. This year, the Belarusian, who is kicking off her Wuhan Open journey tomorrow, is eyeing more than just the championship.

With Iga Swiatek’s withdrawal from the tournament, Sabalenka is the top seed and if she has a good run, she can close the gap on the Polish star as far as the ranking points are concerned. If Sabalenka wins the Wuhan Open title this year as well, she will be the first female player to clinch the title thrice in Wuhan.

Speaking about the possibility of ascending to the top, Sabalenka said, “Of course, this is something I really want to do (become number one), it is one of my goals…But I learned in the past that if you focus on the rankings and defending points and all that kind of pressure, things can easily go wrong. So I prefer to focus on myself and when I’m on court I just try to bring my best tennis and fight for every point. If I’ll be able to bring my best tennis I know that I can become world number one.”

Sabalenka is coming from a quarterfinals upset in Beijing. However, the player doesn’t appear to be carrying any burden of that. Instead, based on her statements on Sunday, she looks ready to dominate once again. It’ll be interesting to see how much of our anticipation will be translated on the court. Do you think Sabalenka can go on and win the Wuhan Open title? Let us know in the comments below.