Britain’s Kartal falls short in Wuhan Open final

Sonay Kartal, 24, saw her chance at the biggest title of her career slip away after a hard‑fought loss to French Open runner‑up Maja Chwalinska in the Wuhan Open final on Sunday. The British player was competing in only her third tournament since returning from a six‑month lay‑off caused by a back injury, and the match ended 2‑6, 6‑4, 6‑2 in Chwalinska’s favour.

Kartal, who was playing just the tenth match of her comeback, had hoped to become the first Briton to win a WTA 1,000 event since Johanna Konta in 2017. She entered the tournament with a protected ranking after being out for more than half a year, and began the week ranked 170th in the world. Despite that, she fought her way to the final by defeating a string of high‑profile opponents, including top‑10 players and former Grand Slam champions such as Belinda Bencic, Wimbledon runner‑up Jasmine Paolini, world number six Elina Svitolina and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

Chwalinska, 25, had surprised many by reaching the French Open final earlier in the season and continued her strong form in Wuhan. After dropping the first set, she turned the tide in the second, eventually taking the match in a decisive third set. The Polish left‑hander, known for her counter‑punching style, broke Kartal’s serve with a drop shot followed by a lob to go up 3‑2 and never looked back.

Kartal started strongly, dominating the opening set and building a break lead early in the second. She even held a third‑set point on her seventh break opportunity, but fatigue appeared to set in as the match progressed. She sought medical advice during a brief pause in the second set, and her physical condition was closely examined. Over the course of the second set she faced 13 break points, lost her serve three times and was eventually forced into a deciding set.

After the match, a disappointed Kartal addressed the three members of her team who had travelled with her, saying: “It’s not the result we wanted today, but those three people in my box are why I’m here, healthy and back to fitness. We’ve had an unbelievable week, not many people expected me to be here and bring the level I did.”

Although she finished as runner‑up, the week was a turning point for Kartal. She is set to re‑enter the world’s top 50, just shy of her career high, and will become the British number one for the first time. Her performance also earned her roughly £290,000 in prize money.

For Chwalinska, the victory adds a WTA 1,000 title to a breakout season that began with a ranking of 146th. The win should propel her into the world’s top 10, with an expected rise to 11th place in the rankings.