Maja Chwalinska overturned a late first-set deficit and swept into the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open final on Saturday, beating fellow Pole Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 in an all-Polish WTA 1000 semifinal. The 25-year-old will meet Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal on Sunday, when both women will contest the largest title opportunity of their careers.
Chwalinska turns semifinal after Swiatek injury timeout
The match initially appeared poised to go Swiatek’s way despite Chwalinska claiming the first break. Swiatek responded with a break of her own and moved ahead 5-3, holding two opportunities to take the opening set in the ninth game.
Chwalinska erased both set points and levelled the contest. Swiatek then left court for treatment on a leg problem, and the former world No. 1 struggled after play resumed. Chwalinska seized the shift in momentum, taking 10 of the final 11 games during a two-hour, eight-minute contest.
- Score: Chwalinska defeated Swiatek 7-5, 6-1.
- Match time: 2 hours, 8 minutes.
- Head-to-head: the result made their record 1-1.
- Previous meeting: Swiatek had beaten Chwalinska at an ITF tournament in Stockholm in 2016.
Swiatek said she had managed quad discomfort throughout the tournament but could not cope with it in the semifinal.
“I had felt pain in my quad from the start of the week,” Swiatek said. “We had even considered stopping after the first round against Magda, but I had been able to play normally and believed it would not become worse. Today it was simply too much. It is unfortunate because we were playing good tennis and I wanted to keep going. Later, I knew winning would be difficult, but I did not want to retire because I wanted Maja to finish the match properly.”
Career-defining breakthrough for Chwalinska
The victory was Chwalinska’s first against a top-10 opponent and the biggest ranking win of her career. It also sent her into a second Tour-level final, following her run to the French Open final earlier this season.
Her two finals have produced a rare statistical landmark. Chwalinska is only the second player to reach her first two WTA-level finals at a Grand Slam and a Tier I or WTA 1000 event, following Amelie Mauresmo, who made the Berlin final in 1998 and the Australian Open final in 1999.
- Chwalinska has won 17 Tour-level matches in 2026.
- Eleven of those victories have come on hard courts.
- Before this season, she had won four Tour-level matches in total.
- She is the first Polish player to beat Swiatek at WTA level in this matchup.
Chwalinska credited her work rate in a fiercely contested opening set, while also wishing Swiatek a quick recovery and success in the race for the WTA Finals.
“The first set was extremely physical,” Chwalinska said. “She had set points, so it was very close to getting away from me. I fought for every ball and chased down everything I could. That was important because it made her work harder as well. I hope she will be okay soon, and I hope she qualifies for the WTA Finals.”
Reflecting on her rise this season, Chwalinska said an encouraging showing in Singapore had helped establish her belief.
“I already felt good in Singapore and thought my level was strong there, so that definitely gave me confidence,” she said. “This feels especially meaningful. You have thoughts because you are human, and my mind can be very busy. Of course, I wonder whether it might only be one tournament. I do not want it to be only one tournament. But it is normal to care, and this result feels good.”
Kartal awaits in first meeting for Wuhan trophy
Sunday’s championship match will be the first between Chwalinska and Kartal. It will also be the first Wuhan final, since the tournament began in 2014, to feature two players ranked outside the WTA top 20.
Kartal had spoken before the semifinal about embracing an unfamiliar opponent and the scale of the occasion.
“I expect another difficult battle, as every match has been,” Kartal said. “Playing somebody different is nice, but it will be a challenge whoever it is. I will need to bring my best level to win. I am going to enjoy every second on court. Getting this far in an event like this is not an everyday experience, so whatever happens, I want to really appreciate it.”
Chwalinska has watched Kartal’s Wuhan run and expects the Briton’s variety to pose another demanding examination.
“I have seen some of her matches and was very impressed by her game,” Chwalinska said. “She uses a lot of variety, so it could be a fun match and definitely a very challenging one. Hopefully I recover well and we can put on a great show.”
