Chwalinska flips the final
Sonay Kartal had the first set in her pocket after 45 minutes. Maja Chwalinska did the rest. The Pole beat the Briton 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the Wuhan Open final a few hours ago, turning a one-sided opener into the largest title of her career.
Chwalinska was the French Open runner-up earlier this year, so she knows what a big final feels like. This time she finished the job. Kartal admitted as much at the net. “That was one heck of a battle, Maja,” she said, before adding: “I hope I can be in many more of these finals.”
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A week nobody saw coming from Kartal
Kartal arrived in Wuhan ranked 170th. She had only returned to the tour this month after six months out with a back injury. Over the week she knocked out Belinda Bencic, Jasmine Paolini, Elina Svitolina and Jelena Ostapenko, taking the semi-final against Ostapenko 7-6 (11-9), 7-6 (7-5).
A win on Sunday would have made her the second British woman after Johanna Konta to take a WTA 1000 title. She falls short of that, but the ranking points still do plenty. She is expected to re-enter the top 50 on Monday and become Britain’s number one. Sky Sports called it arguably the best tournament by a British woman since Emma Raducanu won the 2021 US Open.
What it changes for Chwalinska
The result also closes a rough stretch for the Pole. After her run to the final in Paris, she went months without a win and only found her first victory since Roland Garros at Cincinnati. Wuhan turns that around in a hurry: a WTA 1000 trophy, a comeback from a set down, and a final won against a player riding a hot week.
The tour moves on quickly, but both women leave China with something real. Chwalinska takes the silverware. Kartal takes a ranking jump that looked impossible three weeks ago.
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