Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates after winning the women's singles second round match against Yuan Yue of China, Sept. 27, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Swiatek were placed in opposite halves of the draw as the 2025 WTA Wuhan Open singles field was unveiled on Saturday, with China's top players looking to make an impression on home soil.

China will be represented directly in the main draw by Zhu Lin, Wang Xinyu, Yuan Yue and veteran Zhang Shuai. Local favorite Zheng Qinwen withdrew on Friday as she continues her recovery from injury.

Despite her absence, the Wuhan Open still boasts a star-studded lineup. Sabalenka, Swiatek and Coco Gauff headline a field that will battle for 1,000 ranking points and a total prize pool of 3.65 million U.S. dollars.

Defending champion Sabalenka leads the top half of the draw and has a first-round bye. She will face either Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova or Russia's Anna Kalinskaya in the second round. Also in her section are eighth seed Elena Rybakina, Japan's four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and Czech rising star Linda Noskova, who booked a place in the China Open final after outlasting world No. 7 Jessica Pegula in a three-set semifinal on Friday.

Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam winner, makes her Wuhan debut as the No. 2 seed. Like Sabalenka, she receives a first-round bye and will begin against either Colombia's Camila Osorio or Czech player Marie Bouzkova.

Third seed Gauff joins Swiatek in the bottom half. The 20-year-old American will face either China's Wang Xinyu or a qualifier in her opener.

Elsewhere, Zhu Lin begins against Australia's Maya Joint, while wildcard Yuan Yue opens against a qualifier, with the possibility of meeting Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the second round. Zhang Shuai was drawn against 14th seed Emma Navarro of the United States.

In Friday's qualifying matches, Chinese players Wang Xiyu and Wang Yafan both advanced to the final round.