Sonay Kartal Continues Injury Comeback With Wuhan Open Victory
British tennis player Sonay Kartal advanced to the second round of the Wuhan Open after defeating Anhelina Kalinina, marking another step in her return from a back injury.
Sonay Kartal has continued her strong form since returning from injury, securing a place in the second round of the Wuhan Open by defeating Anhelina Kalinina in straight sets. The victory follows Kartal's appearance in the third round of the Beijing Open earlier this month, her first WTA tournament in six months after being sidelined with a stress fracture in her back.
Kartal, currently ranked 170th in the world, beat Ukraine's Kalinina, ranked 48th, by a score of 7-5, 6-3 in one hour and 31 minutes. The British number five served four aces and won 23 out of 30 points on her first serve during the match. She sealed her victory on her third match point, after Kalinina had saved the first two.
Kartal had returned to competitive play last month at the Billie Jean King Cup, where she narrowly lost to Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic, who is ranked 26th in the world. In Beijing, Kartal recorded wins against Spain's Andrea Lazaro Garcia and Wang Xinyu before her tournament ended with a loss to Alina Charaeva of Armenia.
Kartal's next opponent in Wuhan will be the ninth seed, Belinda Bencic of Switzerland. Meanwhile, Zheng Qinwen withdrew from her home tournament in Wuhan, citing fatigue after her recent victory at the China Open. Zheng became the first Chinese player to win the China Open, but stated her decision to withdraw was due to her body feeling "very fatigued" after an "intense run of matches."