Just when Zheng, who was eyeing to become just the second Chinese player to claim a WTA-1000 title following her idol Li Na's triumph at 2012 Cincinnati, looked to cause an upset, Sabalenka raced up to a 3-0 double break lead in the decider.

The Wuhan final definitely brought some positive points to the Chinese and showed her that she could compete against the three-time Grand Slam champion. But the outcome was again the same and the Belarusian now has a 4-0 head-to-head against the same player she beat in this year's final at Melbourne Park.