Inside British number one Kartal’s remarkable comeback

Sonay Kartal became British number one after reaching the Wuhan Open final in only her third tournament back from a serious back injury. Her run offers a striking sign of her ability to compete at the highest level and a boost for British women’s tennis after a year without a British woman progressing beyond the second round at a Grand Slam.

Six months earlier, Kartal said she was often confined to bed and sometimes struggled to walk without pain from a stress fracture. She used a protected ranking to enter Wuhan, where the runner-up finish earned her 650 ranking points and lifted her above her previous position; she is now approaching her career-high ranking of 44th. The result also means she can enter tournaments such as the 2027 Australian Open without relying on that protected ranking, giving her more flexibility as she manages her return.