Can the defending champion make it four titles in a row at Wuhan?
Three-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka makes her roaring return to the WTA Tour, as she takes on Rebecca Sramkova in the 2025 Wuhan Open Round of 32. The World No. 1 will be playing her first professional match since lifting the US Open trophy. Tasked with the challenging ask of navigating an extremely challenging draw this week, the top seed will hope to make a statement in her opener. The winner of this match will face either Sofia Kenin or Liudmila Samsonova in the pre-quarterfinals. Follow BetMGM for all the important betting updates at the Wuhan Open.
After falling inches short at the first three majors of the year, Aryna Sabalenka finally added to her Grand Slam tally at the 2025 US Open. The 27-year-old beat Amanda Anisimova in the final to become a four-time Grand Slam champion. Sabalenka has won four titles this year – the Brisbane International, Miami Open, Madrid Open and Flushing Meadows. She was also the runner-up at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Stuttgart and Roland Garros. The Belarusian powerhouse has an unimaginable 56-10 record in 2025, and has been unbeaten in Wuhan since 2018.
In February 2025, Rebecca Sramkova caught the eyes of tennis faithful when she beat Mirra Andreeva at the Qatar Open. She then reached the quarterfinals in Merida, after which the Slovakian hit a roadblock during the European clay court swing. Currently ranked No. 68 in the world, Sramkova was also a semifinalist in Nottingham and quarterfinalist at Monterrey. The 28-year-old caused a 6-2 3-6 6-3 upset win over Anna Kalinskaya in the Round of 64, and improved her 2025 win-loss record to 20-25 in the process.
There is no available head-to-head record between Aryna Sabalenka and Rebecca Sramkova. They will have their first WTA Tour meeting in Wuhan 2025.
| Aryna Sabalenka | Category | Rebecca Sramkova |
| 1 | Current Ranking | 68 |
| 472-198 | Career W-L Record | 408-272 |
| 56-10 | YTD W-L Record | 20-25 |
| 21 | Career Titles | 1 |
| 4 | YTD Titles | 0 |
| 4 | Grand Slams | 0 |
Sabalenka will know that she is defending 1000 points at the event, and will play like it. One thing is for certain – the World No. 1 will fight till the very last point like her life depends on it. She added a key aspect to her game in New York, which was moving forward and finishing points at the net. While Sramkova has a great first serve, she does not land them consistently enough. This will give Sabalenka multiple opportunities to dig in and make inroads on her opponent’s service games.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.
Sabalenka (1/20) is a clear favorite over underdog Sramkova (19/2) in the 2025 Wuhan Open Round of 32. According to the implied probability on the money line, the Belarusian has a 92% chance of advancing to the pre-quarterfinal stage. Here are all the odds you need to know about, before placing your bets (as per BetMGM):
(According to BetMGM: BetMGM offers exclusive promo codes, bonus deals and accurate odds for users upon signing up. Use BetMGM to ace your betting game in all sports!)
(Image Credits: Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images)
