Kartal Stuns Svitolina to Reach Wuhan Open Semifinals
British player Sonay Kartal advanced to her first WTA semifinal with a comeback victory over Elina Svitolina.
Sonay Kartal continued her impressive run at the Wuhan Open, defeating fifth seed Elina Svitolina in a hard-fought quarterfinal match to reach her maiden WTA semifinal. Kartal, who is using a protected injury ranking to compete, secured the victory with a 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 scoreline.
Despite not dropping a set en route to the quarterfinals, Kartal faced a stern test from the world number six. She started strong, breaking Svitolina's serve early in the first set. Svitolina took a medical timeout for her right arm but managed to win the second set 6-2, forcing a decider.
The third set saw both players battling closely, but Kartal ultimately broke Svitolina's serve at 5-4 to clinch the match. "I knew what a great fighter world number six Svitolina is, so I was never safe in the match," Kartal said on court after her victory. "It was solid composure from me throughout. It's breaking new ground for me this week. I love playing here and on this court. The atmosphere was amazing, so big thank you to the crowd."
Kartal's performance marks a significant achievement in her comeback from a lengthy injury layoff.
In other quarterfinal action, the sixteenth seed Maja Chwalinska of Poland is set to face Maria Sakkari of Greece, while American Ann Li will compete against seven-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek.