Sonay Kartal‘s remarkable comeback from a long injury lay-off reached new heights as she upset fifth seed Elina Svitolina 6-2 2-6 6-4 in the Wuhan Open quarter-finals, booking her place in a first WTA 1000 semi-final.
Sonay Kartal in action (Credits: BBC Sport)
The 24-year-old Briton, who missed more than six months with a stress fracture in her back and dropped to 170 in the world, claimed her sixth win in eight matches since returning. It was another eye-catching scalp in a stunning Wuhan run that has already seen her defeat Italian 15th seed Jasmine Paolini and Swiss ninth seed Belinda Bencic.
Composure under pressure
Kartal had not dropped a set all week before the quarter-final, and she broke Svitolina early in the opener to seize control. Svitolina took a medical timeout for treatment on her right arm, then stormed back to take the second set 6-2 and force a decider.
The third set was evenly matched until Kartal — competing on a protected injury ranking — broke Svitolina’s serve at 5-4 to seal the biggest win of her comeback.
A new milestone ahead
Speaking on court, 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 will now face 2017 French Open champion Jeļena Ostapenko on Saturday for a place in the final, after the Latvian beat 11th seed Diana Shnaider 7-6 (8-6) 6-1. Meanwhile, Polish 16th seed Maja Chwalinska faces Greek Maria Sakkari, and American Ann Li takes on six-time Grand Slam winner and seventh seed Iga Swiatek.
Also Read: Sonay Kartal Destroys Jasmine Paolini to Reach Wuhan Open Quarter-Finals in Stunning Comeback
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
