WUHAN — A remarkable Wuhan Open week will end with an unseeded final on Sunday, as Britain’s Sonay Kartal, ranked No. 170, meets Poland’s Maja Chwalinska for the WTA 1000 trophy. Neither player has previously won at this level, and the champion will claim the biggest title of her career.
Kartal secured her place with a 7-6(9), 7-6(5) semifinal victory over Jelena Ostapenko, holding firm through two pressure-packed tiebreaks against the former Grand Slam champion. It is only the second WTA final of Kartal’s career; she won her first in 2024. Her run is especially striking after a back problem kept her away from competition for six months, with Wuhan only her second WTA Tour event since returning.
“I have so much belief in my game right now,” Kartal said after defeating Ostapenko. “I feel even more confident than I did at the start of the year, before the injury.”
The British player has won seven of eight matches since her comeback and has navigated a formidable Wuhan draw. She opened by beating Anhelina Kalinina in straight sets, then eliminated Belinda Bencic, Jasmine Paolini and world No. 6 Elina Svitolina before overcoming Ostapenko. Kartal has surrendered only one set across five matches this week and is 13-0 in 2026 when winning the opening set. She has also spent less time on court than Chwalinska heading into the championship match.
A first meeting for an unexpected WTA 1000 crown
Should Kartal lift the trophy, she would become the lowest-ranked WTA 1000 champion in history. The 23-year-old described reaching the final as a milestone after such a rapid return from injury. “Today feels like a dream,” she said. “I have wanted to make a run like this at one of these tournaments for a long time, and doing it so soon after being out makes it very special.”
Chwalinska earned the other final berth with an emphatic 7-5, 6-1 upset of fellow Pole Iga Swiatek. Facing a 5-3 deficit in the first set, she saved two set points, turned the momentum and claimed 10 of the last 11 games. Chwalinska struck 19 winners while making only seven unforced errors, whereas Swiatek produced 33 unforced errors.
Swiatek highlighted the qualities that made Chwalinska difficult to break down. “Her defense was excellent,” she said. “She makes her opponent play one more ball, is smart about getting it back and waits for mistakes.”
Chwalinska, who once partnered Swiatek in junior doubles, will be contesting her second WTA final but is still pursuing her first tour-level title. Her unconventional, varied patterns can unsettle opponents unfamiliar with her game, and Kartal will face that challenge for the first time on Sunday.
The Pole has carried strong form through the Asian swing, going 8-2 in the region and collecting the two highest-ranked wins of her career, first against Iva Jovic and then Swiatek. She had already shown her ability to sustain a deep run at Roland Garros, where she won nine successive matches as a qualifier to reach the final. Kartal, meanwhile, has never put together six consecutive WTA match wins, a streak she must achieve to leave Wuhan with the title.
