Kartal Misses Out on Biggest Title of Her Career

Britain’s Sonay Kartal missed out on what would have been the biggest title of her career as she faded in a gripping Wuhan Open final against French Open runner-up Maja Chwalinska.
Kartal, 24, was bidding to lift the trophy in only her third event since returning from a six-month absence caused by a back injury.
But an extraordinary week in China seemed to catch up with Kartal as she ran out of steam – physically and mentally – in a 2-6 6-4 6-2 defeat.
Kartal was playing in just the 10th match of her impressive comeback and was attempting to become the first Briton to win a WTA 1,000 title since Johanna Konta in 2017.
Ranked 170th in the world at the start of the event, Kartal reached Sunday’s final by seeing off a host of notable opponents, including current top-10 players and former major champions.
However, Poland’s Chwalinska, who made a shock run to this year’s Roland Garros final, dragged Kartal into a brutal battle and ultimately got the better of it.
Kartal dominated the first set and led by a break in the second before Chwalinska turned momentum in her favour.
Chwalinska, 25, felt a few nerves as she closed in on her first WTA 1,000 title, but took her third championship point when Kartal hammered a forehand long.
Despite losing the final, Kartal has enjoyed a transformational week which even she did not see coming.
On Monday, she will climb to 50th in the world rankings – just below her career high – and become the British number one for the first time. She also earned prize money of about £290,000.
Addressing her team before receiving the runners-up trophy, Kartal said: “It’s not the result we wanted today, but those three people in my box are why I’m here, healthy and back to fitness.
“We’ve had an unbelievable week – not many people expected me to be here and bring the level I did.”