Kartal reaches Wuhan final as dream week continues

Sonay Kartal reached the Wuhan Open final by beating former Grand Slam champion Jelena Ostapenko in two tie-break sets. The result puts the British player one win away from her first WTA 1,000 title and makes her the first Briton to reach a final at that level since Johanna Konta in 2019.

Kartal, ranked 170th, came back from 4-1 down in both sets and saved six set points to win 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-5). She is the lowest-ranked player to reach a WTA 1,000 final since the format began in 1990, and the result will lift her into the world’s top 50 and make her Britain’s number one when rankings are updated on Monday. It is only her third event since returning from a six-month absence with a back injury.