Chwalinska beats Kartal from a set down to win Wuhan Open, first WTA title

Poland's Maja Chwalinska beat Britain's Sonay Kartal 2-6 6-4 6-2 in the Wuhan Open final on Sunday. BBC, The Guardian and Reuters each reported the result.

It is Chwalinska's first title on the WTA Tour. It is also her first at WTA 1000 level. Chwalinska, 25, reached the French Open final at Roland Garros earlier this year. According to The Guardian, she did so as a qualifier. The Guardian also reported that she was the 16th seed in Wuhan and will move close to the top 10 of the rankings. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not give her ranking before or after the tournament.

Kartal won the first set. She also led by a break in the second set before Chwalinska came back. According to The Guardian, Kartal called the trainer at the end of the first set and was given a pill. She took it after saving three break points in the opening game of the second set. She then broke serve to lead 2-0, The Guardian reported. The newspaper also reported that play was delayed in the fifth game of the second set after Chwalinska broke a shoelace. According to the BBC, Chwalinska won on her third championship point when Kartal hit a forehand long.

Kartal was playing after a six-month absence caused by a back injury. She was ranked 170th in the world going into the tournament. She will now rise to 50th and become the British No 1 for the first time. According to the BBC, that will be just below her career high. The final would have been the biggest title of her career.

Kartal was trying to become the first British woman to win a WTA 1000 title since Johanna Konta in 2017. According to The Guardian, that title came at the Miami Open, and Kartal is only the second British woman to reach a WTA 1000 final. The Guardian also reported that she was the lowest-ranked player to reach a final at this level since the format began in 2009. Her only previous tour title came in Tunisia in 2024, the newspaper said.

The BBC, which gave Kartal's age as 24, reported that Wuhan was only her third event since her return, and the final her 10th match. The BBC said she beat players currently in the top 10 and former major champions during the week.

What is disputed

Accounts differ on when Chwalinska showed nerves. Reuters reported that she shook off early nerves. The BBC and The Guardian said she felt nerves late in the match as she closed in on victory.

What the reports do not include

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include comments from either player after the final. They do not describe what the pill was, name the players Kartal beat or state her career-high ranking. The Reuters account reviewed was a brief summary.

Analysis

The final produced significant gains for both players. For Chwalinska, a first tour title following a French Open final could mark a step towards consistent results at the top level, though one season does not establish a trend. For Kartal, the jump from 170th to 50th changes her position in British tennis and may affect which events she can enter directly. Questions remain about her physical condition, given the reported trainer visit and her recent injury absence. Without comments from either player, their own assessments of the match and their plans are not known.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.