Having had no home champions since 1998, Japan got two in as many weeks in September 2019, with Naomi Osaka picking up her first home title in Osaka, the city of her birth, without dropping a set (Getty)

Local heroines: Osaka, Hibino become back-to-back home champions in Japan

Kvitova returned in 2016 to win the event again. A thrilling success over Angelique Kerber was a highlight before Dominika Cibulkova was beaten in the showpiece. (Getty)

High five: Previous winners in Wuhan from Kvitova to Sabalenka

Katarina Zavatska came from a set down to score a career-best upset over Fiona Ferro 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-4 in the first round of Guangzhou - the 19-year-old's first WTA main draw win of the year, and the longest match of 2019 to date (3h27m) (Elizabeth Bai)

Marathon marvels: Zavatska wins longest match of 2019 in Guangzhou epic

Serving to stay in the match at 5-6 in the second set, Hsieh Su-Wei saved one match point before coming back to beat Garbiñe Muguruza in the first round of Osaka 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-1 for the second time in as many meetings (Getty)

Great escapes: Hsieh, Bouzkova join 2019's winners from match point down

In 2009, Shahar Pe’er overcame Alberta Brianti, 6-3, 6-4 in the final. She beat No.3 seed Peng Shaui en route. (Getty)

Guangzhou greats: All the winners from the last decade

There was another three-set thriller in 2014, in which Karolina Pliskova overcame Varvara Lepchenko, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2. (Getty)

Seoul sisters: A decade of winners at the Korea Open

In 2016, Wozniacki returned to her third final and won the tournament for a second time, Naomi Osaka her final victim. (Getty)

A decade of champions at the Pan Pacific Open: From Sharapova to Pliskova

Kristina Mladenovic moved up five places to No.44 after making the semifinal in Zhengzhou (Getty)

Ranking Rockets: Mladenovic, Rybakina and Peterson make their move

Nao Hibino won the second all-Japanese WTA final in the Open Era at Hiroshima 2019, defeating Misaki Doi to collect her second career title (Japan Women's Open)

From Sawamatsu and Date to Osaka and Hibino: Japan's WTA champions in pictures

After a two-year gap, Clijsters returned to the tour in 2009. In just her third event back, she won her second US Open title as an unranked wildcard, defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the final. Jada joined her mom on court to celebrate. (Getty)

Comeback Kim: Clijsters's celebrated career in photos

Kim Clijsters has played Venus Williams on 13 occasions, boasting a 7-6 winning record against the American. (Getty)

Active Rivalries: WTA players with the most matches against Kim Clijsters

A wildcard into Zhengzhou qualifying ranked World No.650, 19-year-old Wang Meiling upset Liang En-Shuo en route to navigating through to her first WTA main draw on home soil (Zhengzhou Open)

Welcome to the Tour: Wang Meiling, Danilina qualify for WTA debuts