Sonay Kartal’s return from a six-month back injury has accelerated into the biggest semifinal of her career, the Briton defeating world No. 6 Elina Svitolina 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to reach the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open last four.
Key takeaways
- Kartal, ranked No. 170 after having fallen from No. 54 during her absence, claimed her second career top-10 victory.
- The 24-year-old closed the quarterfinal with her first break point of the deciding set, which doubled as match point.
- She will meet former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko on Saturday for a place in the WTA 1000 final.
- Ostapenko advanced with a 7-5, 6-1 win against 11th seed Diana Shnaider.
- Kartal is now 12-0 in 2026 WTA main-draw matches in which she has taken the opening set.
Kartal seals a late break after three-set battle
The quarterfinal turned sharply across its three sets. Kartal dominated the opener 6-2, before Svitolina levelled the match by the same score. In the decider, neither player faced a break point through the opening nine games. Kartal then created her first chance on Svitolina’s serve at 5-4 and converted immediately, completing the win after 2 hours and 3 minutes.
It was Kartal’s first victory over Svitolina in three meetings, and it carried significant weight in the WTA 1000 draw. She is only the third player ranked outside the top 100 to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal since the format began in 2009. Sloane Stephens, ranked No. 934 in Toronto in 2017, and Victoria Azarenka, No. 186 in Miami in 2018, are the only lower-ranked semifinalists.
“I’m very proud that I came through it,” Kartal said. “It was not easy at all. I had played her earlier this year in Auckland and know her game well, so I knew it was not over before the final point. I’m pleased with the level I produced and with how consistently I have played this week.”
Wuhan is only Kartal’s third tournament since she resumed competition last month. Her comeback has also included a Billie Jean King Cup appearance for Great Britain and a third-round showing in Beijing, where she beat world No. 31 Wang Xinyu.
Her run in Wuhan has been built through victories over Anhelina Kalinina, ninth seed Belinda Bencic and 15th seed Jasmine Paolini before the win over Svitolina. Kartal said she had not expected to rediscover such a high level so quickly.
“I did not think I would reach this level this soon, so it has surprised me,” she said. “These are my best wins in my third event back. I missed six months, but when I’m on court it does not feel that way. That is a really positive sign. Now I want to sustain this level, find out where my ceiling is and see what I can do over the next year.”
Ostapenko awaits in the semifinal
Kartal had been fit enough to consider a return in late August, but chose not to force the process ahead of the Asian swing. She said training could only partly recreate match conditions and credited her physio and wider team for persuading her to allow the recovery to run its course.
Missing Wimbledon was particularly difficult, but Kartal said the advice she repeatedly received was not to hurry. “In an individual sport, you always want to be back quickly, for all sorts of reasons, and I love playing in these environments,” she said. “But I had to trust the people around me. I know they are the best at what they do. I can be stubborn and want to push, but I had to listen. You rarely get six months away from tennis, so I tried to use it well.”
Next comes Ostapenko, with their head-to-head level at 1-1. Kartal won their Wimbledon meeting in 2025, while Ostapenko took their Eastbourne match later that same year.
“She strikes the ball so big on grass, so I hope this court might slow things down a little for me,” Kartal said. “But I know it will be a proper battle. She has played very well this week and it will be another tough one.”
Ostapenko earned her place in the semifinal by recovering from a deficit in the first set against Shnaider before taking control. “It was a very good match,” she said. “I was behind in the first set, but I kept fighting and found a way through it. Then I think I played a really strong second set.”
The Latvian has reached the Wuhan semifinals for the second time, nine years after losing to Ash Barty at this stage in 2017. She is chasing a fourth WTA 1000 final and her first title at that level. Ostapenko also recalled fond memories of Wuhan, including a past Centre Court win over a world No. 1, and welcomed the backing she has received from Chinese fans.
