Even though Sonay Kartal didn’t win the Wuhan Open final, she still set a new British WTA record!
Sonay Kartal has made history for British women’s tennis, even though she lost to Poland’s Maja Chwalinska in the Wuhan Open final. Before the tournament, Kartal was ranked 170th, having just come back from a serious back injury. She started strong by winning the first set 6-2, but Chwalinska fought back to win the next two sets 6-4 and 6-2, claiming her first WTA 1000 title.
Just reaching the final was a huge step forward for Kartal, who missed six months of the 2026 season, including all four Grand Slams. Her new record at Wuhan shows how far she’s come since her comeback in September.
Despite the loss, Kartal is now the top British woman in tennis, moving up to number 50 in the WTA rankings. She took over from Katie Boulter, who is currently playing in a WTA 250 event in Osaka. If Kartal had won in Wuhan, she would have jumped even higher, reaching 36th place, just behind former Wimbledon and French Open finalist Jasmine Paolini.
There are plenty of positives for Kartal from this week. She became the lowest-ranked British player to reach a WTA 1000 final since these tournaments started in 2009 and only the second British woman to do this after Johanna Konta, who reached the final three times between 2016 and 2019. By winning a set in the final, Kartal also became the lowest-ranked British woman to do so in a WTA 1000 event.
Although Kartal didn’t win the title like Konta did at the Miami Open in 2017, this experience should boost her chances of more big wins if she keeps up her comeback.
After the match, Kartal shared her thoughts on court, saying she didn’t think many people expected her to be in a big final so soon after her injury.
“I’ve enjoyed my time here so much,” she said. “The Wuhan Open is an amazing event, and I can’t wait to come back next year. Playing in an atmosphere like this is a dream come true, and I hope to be in many more finals.
“Even though today’s result wasn’t what we wanted, my coaches are the reason I’m here, healthy, and playing well again. We had an incredible week. I don’t think many people expected me to be here or to play this level, so thank you, guys. I love you.
“I’m far from home right now, but everyone here made me feel so welcome. I can’t wait to return next year.”
WTA 1000 events are important tournaments that all top players must enter, though the very highest-ranked players sometimes skip them and take a fine or points penalty. That means Kartal had to beat some top players to reach the final, including Belinda Bencic and Elina Svitolina, as well as a semi-final win over 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. Meanwhile, Chwalinska made headlines by beating six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek in the other semi-final.