Aryna Sabalenka To Compete For Over $1 Million For Champion At China Open.
The prize money and points distribution for the WTA players at the 2024 China Open in Beijing have been revealed.
The 2024 China Open is the penultimate WTA 1000 tournament of the season. It is a combined event with the ATP Tour, although the men’s side only has 500 rather than 1000 status.
China has become a pivotal part of the WTA calendar in the last 20 years. The first women’s singles event at the China Open was not played until 2004, b7thut the tournament has grown in stature since.
Serena Williams was the first winner of the China Open, overcoming Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final. The American legend also secured the title in 2013 by beating Jelena Jankovic in straight sets.
Caroline Wozniacki, Garbine Muguruza, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova, and Naomi Osaka have also won the title in Beijing since 2009 when the China Open was awarded Premier Mandatory (equivalent of the current WTA 1000 tournaments) status.
The tournament was not held in 2020 or 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Controversy surrounding Peng Shuai’s disappearance was given as the reason for not playing the event in 2022, but some think it was really due to COVID-19-related restrictions.
Iga Swiatek won the tournament’s first edition in four years in 2023. However, she withdrew from the 2024 China Open because of personal reasons. That move puts her No. 1 ranking under threat from Aryna Sabalenka.
The Pole and all the other WTA players absent from the 2024 China Open will miss out on competing for a very substantial prize money pot, with particularly lucrative rewards available for those who reach the latter stages of the event.
A seven-figure sum of $1,100,000 is on offer for the women’s singles champion at the 2024 China Open, as well as 1000 points that could be the difference between finishing the year as the world No. 1 or qualifying for the WTA Finals.
The runner-up at this year’s China Open is unlikely to be disappointed with the sum they will leave Beijing with. The losing finalist receives $585,000 in addition to a hefty 650 ranking points.
The two players who are eliminated in the semifinals will receive $325,000 and 390 ranking points. Elena Rybakina and Coco lost in last year’s China Open semifinals to Swiatek and Liudmila Samsonova.
The four quarterfinalists at the 2024 China Open will receive $185,000 and 215 ranking points. That is a good reward for reaching the final eight of a WTA 1000 tournament, which is a notable achievement.
A six-figure sum will also be awarded to those who reach the last 16 in Beijing. These players will get $101,000 and 120 ranking points for getting past the first three rounds of the WTA 1000 event.
Players defeated in the third round will leave with 65 points and $59,100, second-round losers with 35 points and $34,500, and the women who exit in the first round will receive 10 points and $23,250. Those numbers should be an ample incentive for those competing in Beijing.
2024 China Open Beijing WTA Prize Money & Points Overview:
| Points | Prize Money | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1000 points | $1,100,000 |
| Finalist | 650 points | $585,000 |
| Semi-finalists | 390 points | $325,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | 215 points | $185,000 |
| 4th round | 120 points | $101,000 |
| 3rd round | 65 points | $59,100 |
| 2nd round | 35 points | $34,500 |
| 1st round | 10 points | $23,250 |
