Kartal reaches Wuhan final as dream week continues

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.

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.