Wuhan: British tennis star Sonay Kartal created history after defeating Jelena Ostapenko in the Wuhan Open semifinals to make her way into her first WTA Masters 1000 final here on Saturday.
Ranked World No.170 currently, Kartal has become the lowest-ranked WTA 1000 finalist since the format was invented in 2009. She registered a stellar 7-6 (11-9), 7-6 (7-5) win over Ostapenko in two hours and 12 minutes and saved multiple set points.
She will face Maja Chwalinska in the final. The 16th seed Chwalinska stunned 7th seed Iga Swiatek 7-5 6-1 in the second semifinal.
Iga Swiatek’s bid to reach the Wuhan Open final ended in pain and frustration on Saturday, with a left-thigh problem badly restricting her during a 7-5, 6-1 loss to fellow Pole and childhood friend Maja Chwalinska.
The six-time major champion required a medical timeout when she trailed 6-5 in the opening set. Although she returned with her left thigh strapped, Swiatek appeared unable to push off properly or cover the court effectively while trying to retrieve Chwalinska’s shots.
Swiatek arrived in Wuhan needing the trophy to keep alive her faint hopes of making the season-ending WTA Finals.
But her movement was visibly compromised against the left-handed Chwalinska, whose variety and angles made the seventh seed’s lack of mobility even more costly.
For Chwalinska, the win marked another landmark in a remarkable season. The 25-year-old, playing in only her fourth WTA 1000 main draw, had already produced an unexpected run to the French Open final as a qualifier in June.
“Obviously Iga wasn’t 100 percent today, so I wish her all the best, of course,it’s always tough to play against a fellow Polish player. She’s a great champion, a living legend, she won everything. So it was a great honour for me to share the court with her today,” said Chwalinska.
On the other hand, Kartal is playing only in her third tournament since returning from a back injury, which saw her remain out of action for six months. "That was one of the toughest matches I've played," Kartal said after the win.
"I know exactly how she was going to play. At times she's unplayable, but sometimes you have to ride that wave, and mentally this is one of the best performances I've had in my career, so very proud of that one.
Since returning from injury, she returned at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals last month. The 24-year-old made it to the third round at the China Open earlier this month.
Her run to the final in Wuhan now means that Kartal will jump 150 places in the WTA rankings and will break into the top 50, making her the top-ranked British player. In Wuhan, Kartal had earlier defeated world No.48 Anhelina Kalinina in the first round, cruised past No.12 Belinda Bencic in the round of 32, then defeated former French Open and Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini in the pre-quarters and also outclassed four-time Grand Slam semi-finalist Svitolina in the quarters. Agencies