A final that slipped away after a fast start
Sonay Kartal came within a set and a break of the biggest title of her career before Maja Chwalinska turned the Wuhan Open final around on Sunday. The Briton took the opening set 6-2 and moved ahead in the second, but the Polish player, who was contesting her first WTA 1000 final, recovered to win 2-6 6-4 6-2 after two hours and 46 minutes.[S1][S2][S3]
Kartal controlled the early exchanges from the baseline, breaking twice in the first set and saving three break points at the start of the second. Chwalinska then raised her aggression, broke three times in the second set and twice more in the decider, sealing the match on her third championship point when Kartal sent a forehand long.[S1][S2][S3]
The Pole finished with 23 winners and 27 unforced errors, winning 56% of points on her first serve. Kartal, who had asked for medical advice during the match, appeared to tire physically and mentally as the week's demands caught up with her.[S1][S3]
A breakthrough week for Kartal
Kartal arrived in Wuhan ranked 170th in the world and entered through a protected injury ranking available to players absent for six months or more. She had been sidelined by a stress fracture in her back and was playing only the tenth match of her comeback, having returned to competition earlier in October.[S1][S2][S3]
Her path to the final included victories over former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, 2024 Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini, world number six Elina Svitolina and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, whom she beat in Saturday's semi-final. It was arguably the most impressive tournament by a British woman since Emma Raducanu won the 2021 US Open.[S1][S2][S3]
Despite the defeat, Kartal will climb to 50th in the rankings on Monday, just below her career high, and become British number one for the first time. She also collected prize money of about £290,000. She had previously won a WTA 250 event in Monastir in 2024; Wuhan was her first WTA 1000 final.[S1][S2][S4]
Chwalinska's rise continues
Chwalinska, ranked 22nd, was competing in the main draw of a WTA 1000 event for only the fourth time. The title is her first at WTA Tour level and her first at any event above 250 level, and it follows a surprise run to the French Open final in June, where Mirra Andreeva beat her.[S3][S4]
Her week in Wuhan included wins over seeded players Iva Jovic and Iga Swiatek, as well as Maria Sakkari, Marie Bouzkova and Mayar Sherif. The triumph is only her 18th main-draw win at Tour level this season, 12 of them on hard courts; before this year she had recorded just four such victories in her career.[S3]
The result lifts Chwalinska to 11th in the world next week, her top-20 debut. At the same point last year she was ranked 126th. In the trophy ceremony she praised Kartal's level and thanked her coaches, physiotherapist and supporters at home.[S3]
