Though Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen didn't walk away with the title, she left her hometown of Wuhan with her pride intact, because for the first time in a decade, fans witnessed a Chinese player in the final of the Wuhan Open.

It was a milestone moment for the sport in the region.

Winner Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus (R) and runner-up Zheng Qinwen of China during the awarding ceremony of the Wuhan tennis tournament in Wuhan, China's Hubei province on October 13, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

On Sunday night, in front of a packed house at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center in Wuhan, Hubei province, the 22-year-old and No 5 seed battled relentlessly for 2 hours and 40 minutes. Despite saving two match points, Zheng fell to top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, in a hard-fought contest.

Zheng's run marked a breakthrough Chinese season, in which she consistently shattered her previous records at WTA 1000 events. After making her first semifinal at the China Open, she went one step further in Wuhan, reaching the final. Her runner-up finish now stands as the best result by a Chinese player in the tournament's history.

"I'm happy to have reached the final," Zheng said after the match.

"While the result wasn't perfect, I gave the best performance I could today. I'm incredibly grateful to the fans who came out to support me," she said, adding that she had been battling a fever throughout the tournament and had to take medication before the final.

Sunday's match was Zheng's fourth meeting with Sabalenka, following encounters at the 2023 and 2024 US Open and the 2024 Australian Open, all of which Sabalenka won in straight sets.

Throughout the final, Zheng struggled with her serve, tallying eight double faults and landing just 42.3 percent of her first serves. However, she managed to take a set off Sabalenka for the first time.

Broken first in the second set and down 0-3 in the third, Zheng displayed remarkable poise, clawing her way back — perhaps a sign of her growing maturity after winning Olympic gold.

"I played better today than the last time we met, and I've identified areas for improvement," Zheng said, rating her performance a modest "five or six (out of 10)".

"The silver lining is that with each match, I feel I'm getting closer. Next time, I hope it's not just a closer score, but that I can surpass her."

Since the Wuhan Open began, Zheng has become a major draw, with her matches consistently filling the stands. She has rewarded her fans with one stellar performance after another.

Wang Tao, general manager of Wuhan Culture Tourism Group Sports Development Investment Co and co-tournament director of the Wuhan Open, said ticket revenue this year exceeded 2019 figures by more than fivefold. By the time the quarterfinals were played, over 100,000 spectators had watched the event.

"Following Zheng's gold medal win at the Paris Olympics, her profile has soared both domestically and internationally. This year, 46 percent of attendees traveled from outside Wuhan — a record proportion for the tournament," Wang said.

Chinese women's tennis players have made a significant impact at this year's Wuhan Open. In the semifinals, Zheng triumphed over 23-year-old Wang Xinyu, marking the first all-Chinese semifinal in WTA 1000 history. It was Wang's debut in the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event.

"Reaching this milestone alongside Wang shows that China has exceptional players, and our level of play has advanced significantly," Zheng said.

Zheng's runner-up finish in Wuhan further solidified her position in the race to the WTA Finals, where she currently ranks seventh. This strong showing gives her a promising shot at qualifying for her first-ever WTA Finals, set to be held in Saudi Arabia in November.

Zheng's China season might not be over just yet, as she and her team are considering participation in the Ningbo Open, scheduled from Monday to Sunday in Ningbo, Zhejiang province.