Chwalinska Rallies Past Kartal to Win Wuhan Open for Her First WTA Title

Maja Chwalinska won the first title of her WTA career on Sunday, rallying from a set and a break down to beat Britain’s Sonay Kartal 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the Wuhan Open. The 25-year-old Pole, seeded 16th, needed 2 hours and 43 minutes to close out the match.

Kartal, ranked 170th in the world, was the lowest-ranked finalist ever in a WTA 1000 tournament. The Briton dominated the opening set with powerful forehands while Chwalinska’s drop shots and slices kept landing wide, according to Reuters.

The comeback

Kartal broke for a 2-0 lead in the second set and saved four break points in her next service game before Chwalinska converted her fifth to get back on serve. The Pole then won the last five games of the match, saving three break points while serving for the title.

Reuters reported that the left-handed Chwalinska used a defensive right-handed lob to disrupt Kartal’s rhythm, outwitting the Briton with changes of direction and winners into the corners.

Chwalinska said her energy was low at the start. “But also, Sonay played amazing. I think she didn’t let me play my best tennis, so all credit to her for not letting me play [well]. I feel like I gradually started to play much better, much more aggressive,” she said. “What I’m proud of is the fighting spirit.”

History and rankings

Chwalinska became the first left-hander to win a WTA 1000 title since Petra Kvitova in Miami in 2023 and the third Polish player to claim one after Agnieszka Radwanska and Iga Swiatek, whom she beat in the semifinals, according to the WTA. She is the fourth player since 2009 to win her first WTA title at the 1000 level, joining Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu and Victoria Mboko.

The result lifts Chwalinska to a career-high No. 11 in the rankings from No. 22, while Kartal is set to climb from No. 170 to No. 49, the WTA said.

Reporting based on coverage by Reuters and the WTA.