The key facts

  • Kartal (ranked 170th in the world) defeated Ostapenko in two tiebreaks and reached the Wuhan Open final
  • This is the final with the lowest-ranked participant since the WTA 1000 format was introduced in 2009
  • The Briton returned to the tour in September after six months away from the game due to a spine injury

Kartal knocks out Ostapenko and advances to the final

Briton Sonay Kartal, ranked 170th in the world, defeated Jelena Ostapenko 7-6 (11/9), 7-6 (7-5) in the Wuhan Open semifinal on Saturday, October 17. Both sets ended in tiebreaks. Kartal became the first British finalist in the history of the tournament in Wuhan.

Historic achievement and return from injury

According to AFP, the 24-year-old Kartal is the lowest-ranked finalist since the WTA 1000 format was introduced in 2009. She is playing in only her second tournament since returning from a six-month break: from March to September she was recovering from a stress fracture of the spine. Fifteen months ago she held her career high of 44th in the world.

Course of the match

In the first set, which lasted 72 minutes, Kartal came back from a double break and saved two set points in the tiebreak. In the second set she trailed 1-4, but fought back again and saved three set points. Ostapenko, the 2017 Roland Garros champion and ranked 35th in the world, hit 50 winners, but Kartal withstood the pressure.

Reaction and path to the final

“This was probably one of the toughest matches of my career. I knew how she would play. Sometimes she is impossible to stop, and at times you just have to ride out that wave. Mentally this was one of my best matches,” Kartal said. Before that, she knocked out three seeded opponents in a row, including world No. 6 Elina Svitolina and No. 9 Belinda Bencic. This is the second tour-level final of her career and her first at the WTA 1000 level. In the final she will face Iga Swiatek or Magdalena Frech of Poland.