Kartal reaches Wuhan final as dream week continues
Image source, Getty Images
Sonay Kartal is the first British player to reach a WTA 1,000 final since Johanna Konta in 2019
By
BBC Sport tennis news reporter
Updated 3 hours ago
Sonay Kartal's dream week continued as she beat former Grand Slam champion Jelena Ostapenko at the Wuhan Open to reach the biggest final of her career.
British number five Kartal is playing in only her third event since returning from a six-month absence with a back injury, but she now stands one more victory away from a WTA 1,000 title - one of the most prestigious prizes outside of the Grand Slams.
The 24-year-old's composure helped her secure a 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-5) victory in a pulsating semi-final against Latvia's Ostapenko.
Kartal trailed 4-1 in both sets but remained level-headed and took advantage when 34th-ranked Ostapenko stuttered in high-pressure moments.
Remarkably, Kartal survived three set points in the first set, and three more set points in the second, to secure a victory which will long live in the memory.
"That was probably one of the toughest matches I've ever played," said Kartal.
"At times she is unplayable and you have to ride that wave. Mentally, this is one of the best performances of my career."
The world number 170 is the lowest-ranked player to reach a WTA 1,000 final since the format was introduced in 1990.
Kartal will play French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska - who beat six-time major champion Iga Swiatek in their semi-final - for the title on Sunday.
Reaching the final means Kartal, who has been as high as 44th in the world, will return to the world's top 50 and become Britain's number one player when the next rankings are released on Monday.
Kartal keeps calm and carries on
A difficult season for Kartal is ending on a euphoric high which even she did not see coming.
Coming back after such a long absence can often require time and patience as a player's game slowly returns, but Kartal has been able to produce a level which even she is pleasantly surprised to be reaching so soon.
After making her comeback when playing for Great Britain at the BJK Cup little over three weeks ago, Kartal earned a couple of confidence-boosting wins at the Beijing Open and has carried that momentum into Wuhan.
With consistent hitting from the baseline, supreme athleticism and tenacity, Kartal moved into the last four with notable wins over Tokyo Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, 2024 Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini and four-time major semi-finalist Elina Svitolina.
Ostapenko, a heavy hitter who can hammer countless winners but also be extremely erratic, presented Kartal with a very different challenge to those opponents.
At the start of the biggest match of her career, it looked ominous for Kartal.
Image source, Getty Images
While Kartal was playing in her first WTA 1,000 semi-final, Jelena Ostapenko was playing a ninth match at such a level
Ostapenko - the 2017 French Open winner - stepped in to hammer away a pair of backhand winners off second serves in the first two points of the match, applying early pressure which led to an immediate break of Kartal's serve.
The early advantage allowed former world number five Ostapenko to play freely - serving big and striking ferociously - leaving Kartal unable to impose her game as she trailed by a double break at 4-1.
But Ostapenko's tendency to self-combust allowed Kartal to turn around a set which became increasingly dramatic.
Kartal clawed one of the breaks back as Ostapenko became wayward from the baseline, before the Latvian steadied herself - pummelling more aces and winners - to move a hold away from the opening set.
However, Ostapenko became agitated as she twice failed to serve out the opening set at 5-4 and 6-5 - and Kartal took advantage in a pulsating tie-break.
An equally dramatic second set followed a similar pattern, ending in the same outcome.
Kartal had to survive a barrage from the other side of the net at times - Ostapenko finishing with 50 winners and nine aces - but the Briton's ability to keep her emotions on a more even keel again proved crucial.
Will 'underdog' mentality help Kartal win surprise final?
Showing the same composure is likely to be important in Sunday's final.
Nobody would have predicted the two finalists before the tournament, with both Kartal and Chwalinska likely to sense a great opportunity of landing the biggest title of their careers.
Poland's Chwalinska, 25, secured her place with a surprise 7-5 6-1 victory over Swiatek - her childhood friend and former doubles partner, who struggled with a leg injury.
Like Kartal, Chwalinska is entering new territory at WTA 1,000 level - although the world number 22 can bank on the experience of her fairytale run to this year's French Open final.
"I think in every match I've been the underdog in this event," said Kartal.
"So I think the only pressure is the pressure that I've put on myself, regardless of how long I've spent out, I still expect to put up a good performance."
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