19.10.2026 02:20
British tennis player Sonay Kartal, who stayed away from the courts for six months due to a back injury, reached the final at the Wuhan Open, which she started as world No. 170, but lost to Poland's Maja Chwalinska 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. Kartal will become Britain's No. 1 for the first time on Monday.
According to BBC News, British tennis player Sonay Kartal missed out on the biggest title of her career after losing 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to Poland's Maja Chwalinska in the final of the Wuhan Open in China.
Kartal, 24, was competing in only her third tournament after being away from the courts for six months due to a back injury. Kartal, who began the tournament ranked 170th in the world, had entered the main draw using the protected ranking she was granted after her injury.
On her way to the final, Kartal eliminated former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, 2024 Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini, world No. 6 Elina Svitolina and, in the semifinal, 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. Had she won, she would have become the first British player to win a WTA 1000 tournament since Johanna Konta in 2017.
Kartal, who comfortably won the first set of the final and also went a break up in the second, faded physically and mentally as the match progressed. The British player, who faced 13 break points in the second set and lost her serve three times, could not withstand her opponent's pressure in the third set either. Chwalinska, 25, who surprisingly reached the final at Roland Garros this year, lifted her first WTA 1000 trophy when Kartal's forehand went out on her third championship point.
Despite the defeat, Kartal ended the week with a major gain and will rise to No. 50, just below her career high, in the rankings to be released on Monday, becoming Britain's No. 1 female tennis player for the first time. Kartal earned about £290,000 in prize money from the tournament.
Before receiving the runner-up trophy, Kartal addressed her team, saying, "This was not the result we wanted today, but the reason I am here healthy and in form is those three people in the box. We had an incredible week; hardly anyone expected me to be here and to show this level."
Source: BBC