Chwalinska Beats Kartal in Three Sets to Win the Wuhan Open and Her First WTA Title

Maja Chwalinska beat Sonay Kartal 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the Wuhan Open final on Sunday to win the first WTA Tour title of her career. The 25-year-old Pole, ranked 22nd in the world, was a set and a break down against the 170th-ranked Briton before she turned the match around at the Dongfeng Voyah Center Court in Wuhan, Tennis365 reported.

Both players were in their first WTA 1000 final, and it was the first meeting between them, Tennis365 reported. For Chwalinska, the win follows her run to the French Open final this year as a qualifier, which was her only previous tour final. This time she finished the job.

A final that turned around

Kartal started much faster. She broke in the second game, broke again to love, and led 5-2 before she took the first set 6-2 on a second set point against serve, TennisUpToDate reported. Tennis365 reported that Kartal broke in four of Chwalinska's first five service games and led 6-2, 2-0 in the second set.

Kartal took a brief medical timeout before the second set, TennisUpToDate reported, and she held a 2-0 lead in that set after saving three break points in a long opening game. Chwalinska kept pressing. She levelled the set after a long run of break points, the score reached 4-4, and she served out the set 6-4 to force a decider.

From that point, the match changed hands for good. Tennis365 reported that after Kartal's early run of breaks, Chwalinska lost serve just once more and broke Kartal five times to complete the turnaround.

The deciding set

The third set opened with four straight holds of serve. Chwalinska then won four games in a row, with a double break of serve, TennisUpToDate reported. Kartal saved two break points and two championship points went by before Chwalinska took a third chance when Kartal sent a forehand long.

The title is the biggest win of Chwalinska's career and closes the final WTA 1000 event of 2026, TennisUpToDate reported. Tennis365 reported that she takes 1,000 ranking points for the title, lifting her total to 2,681 points. The two outlets gave different projected rankings for both players, so the confirmed change will wait for the official rankings on Monday.

Two runs nobody predicted

Neither finalist was expected to be there. In the semi-finals on Saturday, Chwalinska beat fellow Pole Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1, while Kartal beat Jelena Ostapenko in two tiebreak sets, 7-6 and 7-6 on the set scores reported by RallyHer.

Kartal, who is 24, beat Belinda Bencic, Jasmine Paolini, Elina Svitolina and Ostapenko on her way to the final, TennisUpToDate reported. She leaves Wuhan as the runner-up in her first WTA 1000 final, after starting the week ranked 170th in the world.

Chwalinska leaves with a first title at this level, won from a set and a break down, against an opponent who for the first hour looked in full control.