WUHAN, China — Sonay Kartal was a set and a break up in the Wuhan Open final, one title away from joining Johanna Konta as the only British winners at WTA 1000 level. Then Maja Chwalinska changed the match, and Kartal lost it 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday.
Chwalinska, the French Open finalist, took the biggest title of her career, Sky Sports reported. Kartal was ranked 170th before the tournament after six months out with a back injury. Her run will return her to the top 50 and make her British No 1 on Monday.
She began as if the week had been a rehearsal. Kartal broke early, led 2-0 and then 4-1, and took the first set in 45 minutes by overpowering the Pole, Sky Sports said. She broke early again in the second set, and then Chwalinska raised her aggression.
The turning point, Sky Sports reported, came when Chwalinska went 4-3 up with a break in the second set. Kartal broke straight back to make it 4-4, but Chwalinska broke again and held to force a decider. At one stage in the middle of that set Kartal had faced more than 50 points on serve to Chwalinska’s 15.
The first four games of the third set were shared. Chwalinska then won the next four, with Sky Sports suggesting that fatigue from Kartal’s return to competition had begun to tell as the longer rallies turned in the Pole’s favour.
Chwalinska had reached the final by beating Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 in an all-Polish semifinal. Swiatek led 5-3 in the first set before taking a medical timeout, and Xinhua reported she appeared hampered when she came back.
Kartal said afterwards, “That was one heck of a battle, Maja,” and “I hope I can be in many more of these finals.” She added that the people in her box were the reason she was healthy and back to fitness. Chwalinska’s own reaction was not in the reports TEH reviewed.
