Sonay Kartal’s dream week in Wuhan is about to reach its dramatic conclusion, as she prepares to face Maja Chwalinska in the final later today.
It represents, by some distance, the biggest match of her career, and has shocked many with how quickly it has come about.
After all, the Brit has spent most of 2026 off court, with injuries forcing her to miss around six months of action, including two Grand Slams.
This Wuhan Open represents just her second WTA Tour-level event since returning.
Sonay Kartal is now Britain’s best WTA player… do you agree? 🤔
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Speaking ahead of the final, Sonay Kartal seems so confident in her game right now.
And, speaking to the media after her battling win over Jelena Ostapenko, she even pointed out her ‘biggest asset’.
Sonay Kartal has a trait which few other players do
She began with a brief assessment of yesterday’s match, branding it a ‘dream come true’.
Kartal continued: “I’ve been shooting to get this far in one of these events for a very long time and to be able to do it this fast after so long out, is special.
“I think for me to have had in my box today all the people that got me feeling fit and ready to go and injury-free, it’s a special moment for me and a special moment for the rest of my team.”
She then spoke about the Wuhan Open so far, and how she’s alleviated pressure throughout.
Kartal added: “I think in every match, I’ve kind of been the underdog in this event. So I think the only pressure is kind of the pressure that I’m putting on myself.
“Regardless of how long I spent out, I still expect to offer a good performance and I’m very proud of what I’ve managed to achieve this week.
“There’s a lot of first-time things that I’ve managed to do. So with each match, I’ve grown in confidence, and the atmosphere today was amazing.”
She finished with a nod to her unflinching mentality, branding it one of her ‘biggest assets on the tennis court’.
Kartal concluded: “I think I manage to stay very calm in a lot of situations that can probably get a little heated and you can get frustrated with.
“I just really try and use that to my advantage. I can maybe see her getting a bit upset and emotional on the other side, so I know at that point it’s time for me to just knuckle down and not let her distract me.
“But yeah, I’ve been lucky mentally, I think a lot of players have to work on it, but for me, it’s just something that’s always been ingrained in me.”
Kartal’s words straight after beating Ostapenko were ones of disbelief, as she became the first British player to ever reach the Wuhan Open final.
