Wuhan Open 2026: Sonay Kartal misses out on maiden WTA 1000 title to Maja Chwalinska
• 2 minute read
Britain’s Sonay Kartal lost out on the chance to lift her maiden WTA 1000 title after coming out on the losing side of a three-set battle against Maja Chwalinska in the Wuhan Open final.
Kartal looked on course to claim the biggest title of her career after a dominant opening set, but Chwalinska battled back to seal a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory in two hours and 43 minutes.
The Brit was bidding to lift a second WTA title of her career in only her third event since returning from a six-month injury layoff.
The final marked Kartal's 10th match since returning from injury, with her run in Wuhan propelling her more than 100 places up the rankings to world No.50. As a result, she’s set to become the new British No.1 for the first time on Monday, overtaking current holder Katie Boulter.
“I want to start with Maja, that was one heck of a battle,” Kartal said. “Congratulations to you and your team. You’ve had an incredible year. I watched you at the French Open, I think everyone did. I wish you all the best for the rest of the season.”
Kartal has had to see off a host of tough opponents throughout the week, including top 10 stars Belinda Bencic and Elina Svitolina, as well as 15th seed Jasmine Paolini and former Grand Slam champion Jelena Ostapenko.
The 24-year-old was hoping to become just the second British woman to win a WTA 1000 title - following in the footsteps of Johanna Konta’s 2017 Miami Open crown - but couldn’t find a way past Chwalinska.
“She’s a very tricky player,” Kartal added. “It was a very physical battle and I think I had my chances. That’s probably where the rust of six months (off) comes in.
“Obviously it’s not the result I wanted and yes it’s going to sting for a little while but for me, the positives of this week outweigh the result today so I’m leaving here with my head up high and in a good spot overall.”
Kartal dominated the opening set and looked confident from the baseline. The pair exchanged breaks in the early stages of the contest, but the Brit was the first to settle, breaking again for a 3-1 lead before closing out the set on her third set point.
Kartal went up another early break in the second to move 2-0 ahead, but the Polish star responded immediately. The fightback boosted Chwalinska's confidence as she began to ask increasingly difficult questions of Kartal, creating 13 break points in the set.
While Kartal recovered from two breaks down to stay in contention, Chwalinska made it third time lucky, breaking for a 5-4 lead before serving out the set to force a decider.
Chwalinska continued to disrupt Kartal's rhythm in the final set and used her variety to great effect. Having played six matches en route to the final and still only weeks into her injury comeback, the Brit was unable to maintain the relentless intensity that had helped her take control of the contest early on.
A well-executed drop shot and lob combination helped earn the crucial break for 3-2 before the Pole reeled off the final three games to clinch the biggest title of her career.
