Sonay Kartal’s dreams of becoming a WTA 1000 champion were ended on Sunday evening following defeat in the Wuhan Open final.
Despite being ranked 170th on the Tour, Kartal marched into the Chinese WTA 1000 final, defeating Belinda Bencic, Elina Svitolina, Jasmine Paolini and Jelena Ostapenko en route.
Maja Chwalinska, from Poland, defeated Kartal in the final, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Following Sunday’s contest, Kartal posted a short message on social media.
Sonay Kartal’s message after losing the Wuhan Open final
“Leaving China with my head held high,” Kartal, who has risen 121 places in the WTA rankings to world number 49, said in an Instagram post on Sunday.
Sonay Kartal’s Wuhan Open campaign
- R1: defeated Anhelina Kalinina 7-5, 6-3
- R2: defeated Belinda Bencic 6-0, 7-5
- R3: defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-0
- Quarter-finals: defeated Elina Svitolina 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
- Semi-finals: defeated Jelena Ostapenko 7-6, 7-6
- Final: lost to Maja Chwalinska 6-2, 4-6, 2-6
“The support has been incredible, so thank you,” the British star concluded.
Kartal also posted an image on her Instagram story, depicting herself with the runner’s-up trophy and her team.
“So special having these three people with me these past few weeks,” Kartal said. “The ones who got me back to being healthy. The ones who got me back to competing.
“And the ones who deserve this moment.”
Kartal can walk away from Wuhan with her head held high, despite losing Sunday’s final; few would have expected the British star to advance as far as she did upon the tournament’s commencement last week.
Maja Chwalinska has also confirmed her status as one of the most exciting breakout players of the 2026 season.
The Polish star, who has risen 11 places to world number 11 following her performances in China, also reached the Roland Garros final earlier this year.
Both Kartal and Chwalinska have withdrawn from WTA events after competing in the Wuhan Open final: Kartal withdrew from the Osaka Open while Chwalinska withdrew from the Ningbo Open.
Kartal has cited a right knee injury as the reason for her withdrawal, while Chwalinska has cited a left thigh injury.
Sonay Kartal is the new British number one
Kartal has now achieved one of her main goals as a tennis player by attaining the status of British number one.
The Sidcup-born player has overtaken Katie Boulter, Fran Jones, Harriet Dart and Emma Raducanu in the rankings.
- Sonay Kartal – 49
- Katie Boulter – 58
- Fran Jones – 99
- Emma Raducanu – 109
- Harriet Dart – 117
Kartal has become the fourth British number one since 2020 and 24th since 1975.
“There are a lot of things that I want to achieve in my career and that [becoming British number one] was up there,” Kartal told BBC Sport after Sunday’s final.
“I really hoped that one day I would achieve that, and it’s a nice touch to wake up tomorrow [Monday] and see that statistic.
“I’m so proud of this week. It’s tough not to get the result, it would have been nice to end on a high, but there are so many positives and things that I’ve achieved this week that will set me up nicely for next year.”