Sonay Kartal made history as she upset Jelena Ostapenko in an enthralling contest to reach the biggest final of her career at the 2026 Wuhan Open.
The Brit prevailed 7-6(9), 7-6(5) over world No 34 Ostapenko in the semi-finals at the WTA 1000 tournament in China on Saturday.
In the first set, Kartal recovered from being a double break down at 1-4 and saved three set points before winning a pulsating tiebreak.
Kartal was broken in the second game of the second set, but remarkably, she fought back from a 1-4 deficit again and survived three set points on her serve before sealing victory in the tiebreak.
The 24-year-old is ranked 170th, but she is competing in Wuhan using a protected ranking as she missed over six months due to injury this year.
She has become the lowest-ranked player to reach the final of a WTA 1000 tournament since the category of event was introduced in 1990.
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In a post-match interview, Kartal said: “That was probably one of the toughest matches I’ve ever played.
“At times she is unplayable and you have to ride that wave. Mentally, this is one of the best performances of my career.”
Kartal’s run has earned her 650 ranking points, which has taken her points total to 1,097 and lifted her 120 places to world No 50 in the Live WTA Rankings.
The Brit reached her career-high ranking of 44th in July 2025.
More to follow…
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