Kartal

Sonay Kartal’s dream week continued as she beat former Grand Slam champion Jelena Ostapenko at the Wuhan Open to reach the biggest final of her career.

British number five Kartal is playing in only her third event since returning from a six-month absence with a back injury, but she now stands one more victory away from a WTA 1,000 title – one of the most prestigious prizes outside of the Grand Slams.

The 24-year-old’s composure helped her secure a 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-5) victory in a pulsating semi-final against Latvia’s Ostapenko.

Kartal trailed 4-1 in both sets but remained level-headed and took advantage when 34th-ranked Ostapenko stuttered in high-pressure moments.

Remarkably, Kartal survived three set points in the first set, and three more set points in the second, to secure a victory which will long live in the memory.

“That was probably one of the toughest matches I’ve ever played,” said Kartal.

“At times she is unplayable and you have to ride that wave. Mentally, this is one of the best performances of my career.”

The world number 170 is the lowest-ranked player to reach a WTA 1,000 final since the format was introduced in 1990.

Kartal will play French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska – who beat six-time major champion Iga Swiatek in their semi-final – for the title on Sunday.

Reaching the final means Kartal, who has been as high as 44th in the world, will return to the world’s top 50 and become Britain’s number one player when the next rankings are released on Monday.

Speaking on court after her victory, Kartal said she knew “what a great fighter” world number six Svitolina is, so she “was never safe” in the match.

“It was solid composure from me throughout,” she added. “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 had not dropped a set during her run to the quarter-finals at Wuhan, and she broke Svitolina early in the first to start on a positive note.

Svitolina then called for a medical timeout for treatment on her right arm, but she came back strong to take the second set 6-2 and send the last-eight tie to a decider.

The two players were evenly matched in the third set but it was Kartal, using a protected injury ranking to play, who managed to break Svitolina’s serve at 5-4 and book her place in the last four.

In the other quarter-finals, Polish 16th seed Maja Chwalinska faces Greek Maria Sakkari, while American Ann Li takes on six-time Grand Slam winner and seventh seed Iga Swiatek.