Sonay Kartal Reaches Wuhan Open Final With Straight-Sets Win Over Jelena Ostapenko

Sonay Kartal defeated former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 7-6 (9), 7-6 (5) to reach the Wuhan Open final.

Sonay Kartal defeated Jelena Ostapenko 7-6 (9), 7-6 (5) to advance to the Wuhan Open final on Oct. 17, 2026. The 24-year-old saved a total of six set points during the match, including two at 6-5 in the second set and two during the opening 11-9 tie-break. Kartal overcame a double break deficit in the first set and recovered another break in the second to secure the win in only her second tour-level tournament since returning from a six-month back injury.

Ranked 170th at the start of the week, Kartal is the lowest-ranked player to reach a WTA 1000 final since the format's 2009 inception. This victory ensures she will move into the world's top 50 in next week's WTA rankings, overtaking Katie Boulter to become the new British No. 1. Her path to the final included wins against world No. 6 Elina Svitolina, Jasmine Paolini, and Belinda Bencic.

Kartal will face Maja Chwalinska in Sunday's final. The Polish player reached the championship match by defeating Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 in the other semifinal. Kartal previously reached the fourth round of Wimbledon last year before her injury layoff and won two matches at the China Open earlier this month.