WUHAN, China — British player Sonay Kartal secured one of the biggest victories of her career on Friday, overcoming world No. 6 Elina Svitolina 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals of the Wuhan Open.
Ranked 170th in the world following a six-month layoff caused by a stress fracture in her back, Kartal became the lowest-ranked player to reach the final four in Wuhan since the tournament debuted in 2014, The Independent reported. She also joined Johanna Konta as only the second British woman to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal since the tier was established in 2009, according to BBC Sport.
A battle into the decider
Kartal entered the match having won every set in her earlier rounds, which included victories over ninth seed Belinda Bencic and former Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini. She carried that form directly into the opening set against Svitolina, breaking the Ukrainian in the second game and cruising through the opener in 33 minutes, dpa international reported.
Svitolina requested a medical timeout to receive treatment on her right arm before mounting a strong comeback in the second set, according to the BBC. The fifth seed leveled the contest at one set apiece by matching Kartal’s earlier 6-2 margin.
The deciding set remained closely contested on serve until the 10th game. Serving to stay in the match at 4-5, Svitolina pushed a forehand wide to give Kartal her first match point. Following a deep return from the Briton, Svitolina hit a backhand past the baseline to end the match, dpa international reported.
“Going into that match, despite winning the first set pretty comfortably, I knew what a great fighter she is,” Kartal said in an on-court interview reported by Tennishead. “So I knew that until the very last point was played, I was never safe. Super proud of the determination I managed to show in that match.”
Rapid ascent after extended injury layoff
The victory marks Kartal’s second career win over a top-10 player and her sixth victory in eight matches since returning to competition, according to British media. The 24-year-old had been sidelined since March at Indian Wells, forcing her to miss three Grand Slam tournaments this season, including Wimbledon, where she had reached the fourth round in 2025.
While dpa international and Tennishead reported that Wuhan is Kartal’s third tournament back from injury, The Independent noted it is her second WTA-level event since March. Regardless of the exact tournament tally, her run ensures she will re-enter the world’s top 100 rankings after tumbling down the standings while sidelined, The Independent reported.
“I definitely did not think that I would find this level this fast,” Kartal said, as reported by dpa international. “I think it’s a bit of a surprise to me. I’ve had my best wins in my third tournament back. I did lose six months on the tour, but I don’t feel like that when I’m playing on the court.”
What comes next
Kartal will face 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko on Saturday for a place in the championship match. Ostapenko booked her spot in the semifinals by defeating 11th seed Diana Shnaider 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, according to tournament reporting.
The remaining quarterfinal matches in Wuhan feature 16th seed Maja Chwalinska against Maria Sakkari, and American Ann Li facing seventh seed and six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, BBC Sport reported.
