Maja Chwalinska is set to reach a new milestone in the WTA Rankings after she captured her maiden title at the 2026 Wuhan Open.

World No 22 Chwalinska defeated 170th-ranked Sonay Kartal 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the championship match at the 10th and last WTA 1000 event of the season.

Both Chwalinska and Kartal were competing in their first final at WTA 1000 level, and it was a matchup no one would have predicted at the start of the tournament.

Chwalinska was playing just her second tour-level final, having lost her first to Mirra Andreeva at the 2026 French Open following a remarkable run as a qualifier.

The Pole also overcame Iga Swiatek, Maria Sakkari, Iva Jovic, Marie Bouzkova and Mayar Sherif during her run in China.

In her post-match press conference, Chwalinska said: “It means a lot. It tastes very sweet, I [must] admit.

“I feel like I still don’t realise that I won. So I feel like I just need a few days. But it feels special because after the French Open it was obviously amazing, but then I had some tough moments. I feel like people also were very rough towards me.

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“And it took a toll on me as well. I’m just a human. So I need to admit it was very tough for me, but I kept working really hard. And I’m just very grateful that my hard work paid off today.”

Chwalinska added: “I feel like my energy level was very low at the beginning.

“But also, Sonay played amazing. I think she didn’t let me play my best tennis, so all credit to her for not letting me play [well].

“I feel like I gradually started to play much better, much more aggressive, I would say.

“Also, the depth of my shots improved. So I didn’t feel well at the beginning, but what I’m proud of is the fighting spirit.”

Chwalinska started the Wuhan Open as the world No 22 — one place below her career-high ranking position of 21st — on 2,043 points.

The 25-year-old has collected 1,000 points for her triumph in Wuhan, which has increased her total by 988 to 3,031.

This has lifted Chwalinska 11 places in the Live WTA Rankings to a projected new career-best ranking of world No 11 — which will be confirmed when the WTA Rankings officially update on Monday.

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