Sonay Kartal upset ninth seed Belinda Bencic 6-0 7-5 at the Wuhan Open as she continued to build momentum after a long injury layoff. The Briton, who reached a career-high ranking of 44 last year, has dropped to 170th in the world after a six-month absence.
Kartal returned to action for Great Britain at last month’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals. The 24-year-old then reached the third round at the Beijing Open last week before beating Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina in her opening match in Wuhan. Her win over Swiss world number 12 Bencic, a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, was the second-biggest victory of her career by ranking.
“I trusted that I would be able to get my level back, I just didn’t know how quickly,” Kartal said.
“I did a lot of things right today, but I still think there’s a long way to go. I can produce the level, but can I sustain it? I think that’s going to be the hardest challenge. I’m happy to be back, I’m feeling good.”
Kartal will face Italian 15th seed Jasmine Paolini for a place in the quarter-finals.
Kartal suffered a stress fracture in her back in March, which forced her to miss three of this year’s four Grand Slams, including Wimbledon. The Briton reached the fourth round at her home Slam last year and was in good form before the break. She beat American top-20 seeds Emma Navarro and Madison Keys at Indian Wells before she retired against Elena Rybakina in the third round because of the back problem.
Kartal beat Chinese 31st seed Wang Xinyu to reach the third round in Beijing. She has now won four of her five matches since returning to the WTA Tour.
Sabalenka Loses Unexpectedly Again as Pattern Continues
Four-time major champion Aryna Sabalenka suffered an unexpected early exit, losing to American Ann Li in a dramatic second-round match. The top seed, who had a bye in round one, saved nine match points before the 31st-ranked Li sealed a 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5) victory on her 10th opportunity.
It was Sabalenka’s second straight defeat, following her loss to world number 34 Nikola Bartunkova in Beijing last week. The 28-year-old Belarusian, who needed treatment for a knee injury in Wuhan, led by a set and a break before Li turned the match around. Sabalenka saved five match points at 5-2, two more at 5-4, and another pair in the tie-break, but she still lost from a strong position against an opponent ranked well below her. That pattern has hindered the world number two during a frustrating season, which has already seen her reach two Grand Slam finals without winning either.
“It was a crazy match. I didn’t start well and I missed opportunities, but she played well on those match points,” said Li, 26, who recorded the biggest win of her career.
Sabalenka’s exit came shortly after American second seed Jessica Pegula lost 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-3 to Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko. Former world number one Iga Swiatek did advance on Wednesday, recording her 40th win of the season with a 6-2 6-1 victory over fellow Pole Magdalena Frech.