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After winning her third career major at the US Open, Aryna Sabalenka is all set to play the China Open next. The event is scheduled to take place at the National Tennis Center in Beijing and is slated to start on September 26.
This event will be key in the tightening battle between Sabalenka and World No.1 Iga Swiatek for the top spot. The Pole is the defending champion at the China Open and will have 1000 points to defend in this edition.
On the other hand, the World No. 2 lost to Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals last year and only has 215 points to defend this time. Given the respective form of both players, the Belarusian has a golden opportunity to narrow the gap at the top of the rankings.
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Sabalenka entered the US Open 2024 as the pre-tournament favorite. The second seed justified the tag by winning the title and dropping a single set in the entire event. In the semi-final and final, she was able to focus her mind and keep the raucous New York crowd from overwhelming her, as she defeated two American opponents Emma Navarro and Jessica Pegula.
The Belarusian had been the World No.1 for a brief period after the US Open last year. However, she lost to Swiatek in the year-ending Championships and lost her ranking to the Pole.
Aryna Sabalenka created history at the US Open
After last year's disappointing loss to Coco Gauff in the final, Aryna Sablenka turned her fortunes around this time in New York, winning the title after several close finishes. As a result, she became the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win both the hard-court Majors in the same season, and the fifth woman overall to do so.
She also became the most decorated tennis player from Belarus, overtaking Victoria Azarenka's haul of two Major titles, winning successive titles in Melbourne in 2012 and 2013. Azarenka also reached the finals of the US Open in those two years but lost to Serena Williams both times.
Sabalenka finished the Grand Slam season with a record of 18-1, with the solitary loss coming at the hands of Mirra Andreeva at the French Open quarter-final. With the two Major wins this year, the Belarusian improved her records at the Australian Open and the US Open. The World No. 2 has a 22-5 record in Melbourne with an 81% win rate and has a 28-6 record in New York with an 82% win rate.
