Wuhan Open set for return as WTA 1000 added to schedule for first time since 2019 after Peng Shuai saga

Following almost a five year hiatus from the WTA circuit, the Wuhan Open will be making it's return to the calendar during the 2024 season.

A WTA 1000 event, the Wuhan Open was last staged in 2019, with World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka the two-time defending champion. The event has been reinstated to the WTA calendar this year, and is set to run from October 7-13, 2024.

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Tournament cancelled due to Covid and human rights issues

The last edition of the event was held in 2019, with Sabalenka defeating American Alison Riske 6-3 3-6 6-1 in an exhausting final. Subsequently, with the onset of the Covid pandemic, the event was pulled from the tour in accordance with the health regulations at the time. However, after the alleged sexual abuse suffered by Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai and her subsequent disappearance, the WTA ceased all events in China until it was announced the tour would return to Wuhan this year.

"We are delighted to announce the return of the WTA 1000 event to Wuhan, and reignite the thrill of elite tennis competition in one of Asia's most vibrant cities," Jorge Salkeld, Senior Vice President of Octagon Tennis said in comments first published by China's Xinhua news agency and republished by Reuters.