Sonay Kartal Creates History After Reaching Wuhan Open Final

Sonay Kartal creates history after reaching Wuhan Open final (Sonay Kartal creates history after reaching Wuhan Open final in Wuhan on Saturday. Photo credit: WTA)

Billie Jean King Cup Finals:  British tennis star Sonay Kartal created history after defeating Jelena Ostapenko in the Wuhan Open semifinals to make her way into her first WTA Masters 1000 final here on Saturday.

Ranked World No.170 currently, Kartal has become the lowest-ranked WTA 1000 finalist since the format was invented in 2009. She registered a stellar 7-6 (11-9), 7-6 (7-5) win over Ostapenko in two hours and 12 minutes and saved multiple set points.

Kartal is playing only in her third tournament since returning from a back injury, which saw her remain out of action for six months. "That was one of the toughest matches I've played," Kartal said after the win.

"I know exactly how she was going to play. At times she's unplayable, but sometimes you have to ride that wave, and mentally this is one of the best performances I've had in my career, so very proud of that one.

"I was dreaming of playing this match before the injury, so to be able to come back here in my third event and to achieve this regardless is a huge milestone for me, so I'm going to recover and enjoy every second tomorrow."

Since returning from injury, she returned at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals last month. The 24-year-old made it to the third round at the China Open earlier this month.

Her run to the final in Wuhan now means that Kartal will jump 150 places in the WTA rankings and will break into the top 50, making her the top-ranked British player. In Wuhan, Kartal had earlier defeated world No.48 Anhelina Kalinina in the first round, cruised past No.12 Belinda Bencic in the round of 32, then defeated former French Open and Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini in the pre-quarters and also outclassed four-time Grand Slam semi-finalist Svitolina in the quarters.

Since returning from injury, she returned at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals last month. The 24-year-old made it to the third round at the China Open earlier this month.

Article Source: IANS