In her first stint as the world No. 1, Sabalenka spent a total of eight weeks as Swiatek reclaimed the position following her victory at the 2023 WTA Finals. Since then, the Pole has been the top-ranked player in the game without any changes while the Belarusian briefly lost the No. 2 position in mid-2023 to Coco Gauff.

The Belarusian has a chance to close the gap on the Polish world No 1 in Wuhan, with the battle for top spot likely to be settled in Riyadh.

Aryna Sabalenka has sent a message to Iga Swiatek after winning her opening match in Wuhan. Sabalenka is the top seed this week following the world No. 1’s withdrawal. It’s the second successive tournament Swiatek has missed as she rejigs her team after splitting with her coach of three years.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka said on Wednesday she believes her rivalry with top-ranked Iga Swiatek is "much-needed" in women's tennis.

Iga Swiatek has not played a match since her one-sided quarter-final loss to Jessica Pegula at the U.S. Open and she has now withdrawn from the tournament in Wuhan.