Sonay Kartal Upsets Elina Svitolina in Three Sets at Wuhan Open

Sonay Kartal reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal by defeating world number six Elina Svitolina 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

Sonay Kartal defeated world number six Elina Svitolina 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 on October 16 to reach the semifinals of the Wuhan Open. The 24-year-old Briton secured the victory on her first match point after Svitolina hit a backhand beyond the baseline. This result marks Kartal's first time advancing to the last four of a WTA 1000 event.

Kartal opened the match by breaking the Ukrainian in the second game, eventually taking the first set in 33 minutes. While Svitolina leveled the match in the second set, the decider remained competitive until the final game. Serving at 4-5 in the third set, Svitolina missed a forehand wide to grant Kartal a match point opportunity, which the Briton converted following a strong return.

According to ESPN, Kartal is competing in just her third tournament after a six-month absence due to a back injury. Her path to the semifinals included previous victories over ninth seed Belinda Bencic and former Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini. Kartal noted that despite a comfortable first set, she maintained composure against Svitolina, whom she described as a great fighter.