Sonay Kartal has reached the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open, a WTA 1000 event, in just her third tournament back from injury. She will face former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko on Saturday from 10am for a place in Sunday’s final.
Kartal continued her impressive form by beating fifth seed Elina Svitolina 6-2 2-6 6-4.
Speaking on court, Kartal said: “Despite winning the first set pretty comfortably, I knew what a great fighter she [Svitolina] is, so I knew that until the very last point was played, I was never safe.”
She added: “Super proud of the determination I managed to show in that match, and I just think it was solid composure from me throughout.”
Kartal also reflected on the significance of the result: “I’m breaking new ground this week. I’ve never reached a semis of a WTA 1000 and like I’ve said I absolutely love playing here and playing on these courts. The atmosphere was amazing today.”
A Return From Injury
Kartal, 24, reached the fourth round of Indian Wells in March. She then missed six months with a stress fracture in her back and returned last month at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Previously ranked as high as No 44 in the world, she reached the third round in Beijing last week.
In Wuhan, Kartal has defeated world No 48 Anhelina Kalinina, world No 12 Belinda Bencic, two-time Grand Slam singles finalist Jasmine Paolini, and four-time major semi-finalist Svitolina.
Currently ranked 170th in the WTA rankings, Kartal will return to the top 100. She moves up to No 87 following her latest win, and she has become the lowest-ranked player to reach the Wuhan semi-finals. She missed three of this year’s four Grand Slams, including Wimbledon.
Ostapenko Targets Kartal
Ostapenko came from 5-2 down in the first set to beat 11th seed Diana Shnaider 7-6 (8-6) 6-1. The Latvian hit 32 winners in that match, bringing her total for the week to 138.
Pundit Naomi Broady said: “I don’t think Ostapenko is going to enjoy Kartal’s game style with the amount of balls Sonay is going to put back into play.”
Broady added: “It will be interesting because when Svitolina upped her aggression in that match, Sonay wasn’t all that comfortable in set two, but, of course, it’s Ostapenko’s base game, isn’t it? But Sonay is going to be expecting that. She’s seeing the ball big, so it’s going to be all about keeping the ball out of the strike zone.”
Broady also pointed to Ostapenko’s physical condition. “Ostapenko has withdrawn from the doubles here, possibly struggling with the forearm injury, because we saw the physio coming out a couple of rounds ago against Jessica Pegula and she has had it taped since,” she said. “She is not going to enjoy having someone like Kartal down the other end of the court. I think when the pressure is on Ostapenko’s back she doesn’t always perform her best.”
Other Results in Wuhan
American Ann Li, who upset top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the second round, could not cause another upset. Iga Swiatek won 6-4 6-1.
Swiatek will play Maja Chwalinska in an all-Polish derby. Chwalinska beat French Open finalist Maria Sakkari, who played well, 6-0 3-6 7-5.
Jodar Makes History in Shanghai
Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar, 20, became the youngest semi-finalist in Shanghai Masters history. He came back from a set down to beat Casper Ruud 4-6 6-4 6-3. It was the fourth straight match at the ATP Masters 1000 event in which Jodar recovered from losing the first set.
Jodar will face Daniil Medvedev for a place in the final. Former US Open champion Medvedev beat Tommy Paul 6-3 1-6 6-3.