The top seed in Wuhan Aryna Sabalenka is remaining dedicated to leapfrogging Iga Swiatek into the top spot in the WTA rankings.
An abrupt end to her glittering 15-match unbeaten streak came at the hands of the dynamic, head-band donning Karolina Muchova.
The Russian only returned to the WTA Tour in June after injury at the US Open last year and subsequent wrist surgery.
However, through her trademark dazzling and delicate selection of shots, managed to disrupt the US Open champion to pull off the upset.
Now further down in Southern China, the two-time Wuhan champion still has just one thing on her mind.
The Belarusian has been hard to stop all year, remaining the only woman with multiple Grand Slam titles this year.
Aryna Sabalenka has made clear her 2024 ambitions of retaining top spot – a goal that is becoming more and more possible after Swiatek’s withdrawal from Beijing and Wuhan.
Swiatek parted ways with her coach in an announcement made on Saturday, and will next appear at the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia.
A rejuvenated Sabalenka said she mustn’t pile the pressure on herself. “Of course this is something I really want to do (become number one), it is one of my goals,” the Belarusian told Agence France Presse.
“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,” she said triumphantly.
The big-hitting Belarusian received a bye into the second round but has a tough draw with both Emma Navarro and Coco Gauff in her half.
Facing either Czech doubles star Katerina Siniakova or wildcard Alexandra Eala, Sabalenka is expected to coast through her opener and quickly restart another winning run.
The Wuhan Open is back on the WTA calendar for the first time since 2019, with Sabalenka therefore technically the reigning champion.
She won back-to-back titles defeating Anett Kontaveit in 2018 and America’s Alison Riske the following year.
