Sonay Kartal reached her first WTA 1000 final at the Wuhan Open, defeating Jelena Ostapenko 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-5) in Saturday's semifinal. The 24-year-old British player saved multiple set points against the Latvian opponent, who struck 50 winners in the match.
Kartal becomes only the second British woman to reach a WTA 1000 final, after Johanna Konta (Beijing 2016, Miami 2017, Rome 2019). She plays in only her third tournament since returning from a back stress fracture that sidelined her for six months and caused her to miss three of this year's four Grand Slams, including Wimbledon.
Ranked 170th, Kartal holds the lowest ranking of any player to reach a WTA 1000 final. She will break into the top 50 and become British No. 1 following this run. Since the WTA 1000 format began in 1990, she is only the second player to defeat five former finalists en route to the final, matching Naomi Osaka's 2005 Montreal achievement. Her semifinal victims include former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, ex-Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini, and world No. 6 Elina Svitolina.
In her post-match comments to media, Kartal attributed her success to mental composure. "I think mentally, it is one of my biggest assets on the tennis court. I think I managed to stay very calm in a lot of situations," she said. She noted that being underdog in every match this week removed self-imposed pressure and allowed her to grow in confidence with each victory.
Sky Sports analyst Colin Fleming praised Kartal's poise. "Her ability to stay in the present got her through. She kept cool to ultimately outlast Ostapenko, who hit 50 winners past her and still couldn't win a set," Fleming said. He added she is "playing the tennis of her life" heading into the final.
Kartal faces Poland's Maja Chwalinska in Sunday's final. Chwalinska, a French Open finalist, defeated fellow Pole and former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek 7-5 6-1 in the other semifinal. The final is scheduled for 11.30am GMT on Sky Sports Tennis.