Chwalinska Beats Injured Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 to Reach First WTA 1000 Final in Wuhan

Maja Chwalinska beat Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 in an all-Polish semi-final at the Wuhan Open on Saturday, October 17, 2026, to reach the first WTA 1000 final of her career. The two players are childhood friends. Swiatek, a former world number one and a six-time Grand Slam champion, finished the match with her left thigh bandaged after a medical timeout, and she struggled to chase returns in the second set.

Chwalinska will face Sonay Kartal of Britain in Sunday's final. Kartal beat Jelena Ostapenko 7-6 (11-9), 7-6 (7-5) in the first semi-final. Both finalists are playing for the biggest title of their careers.

A first set that turned late

Swiatek led 5-3 in the first set and held two set points. Chwalinska saved both and levelled the set. At 6-5 down, Swiatek took a medical timeout for a left leg injury and came back with heavy strapping on her upper left thigh.

The break did not save her. Chwalinska took the set 7-5, then ran away with the second. She won 10 of the next 11 games after trailing 5-3, and closed the match 6-1 in the second set. The match lasted two hours and eight minutes, and most of that time went on a long, physical first set.

Reuters reported that Swiatek found it difficult to put pressure on her leg and had trouble moving to returns across the court after the timeout. She kept playing to the end, but her movement was limited.

Friends, and a first win over a top 10 player

This was the first meeting between the two 25-year-olds on the WTA Tour, and it gave Chwalinska her first win over a top 10 player. She had beaten Mayar Sherif, Marie Bouzkova, Iva Jovic and Maria Sakkari to reach the semi-final. Swiatek had beaten Magdalena Frech, Ashlyn Krueger and Ann Li.

After the match, Chwalinska said the first set had been very challenging and very physical, and that it had lasted about an hour and a half. She said Swiatek was clearly not at full fitness, wished her well, and hoped she would be fine soon. She called her friend a great champion and said it was an honour to share the court with her.

The loss hurts Swiatek in the race for a place at the WTA Finals. She leaves Wuhan with a leg injury to assess and little time to recover before the end of the season.

What Sunday brings

Sunday's final pairs two players few expected to be there. Kartal is ranked 170th and reached her first WTA 1000 final by beating Ostapenko in two tiebreaks. Chwalinska has now beaten the biggest name in the draw. Neither woman has won a WTA 1000 title. One of them will leave Wuhan with the biggest win of her career.