Kartal becomes British No. 1 after Wuhan final — Sky Sports News

British tennis player Sonay Kartal became Great Britain's No. 1 after reaching the final of the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open tournament in Wuhan, China. In the deciding match, the 24-year-old athlete lost to Poland's Maja Chwalinska in three sets — 2:6, 6:4, 6:2, Sky Sports reports.

Following her performance in Wuhan, Kartal rose to 50th place in the WTA rankings. She became the second British tennis player after Johanna Konta to reach the final of a WTA 1000 category tournament.

Victories over top opponents

On her way to the final, Kartal defeated Tokyo Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini, world No. 6 Elina Svitolina and former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko.

After the final, Kartal said that her team had helped her return to a healthy condition and physical shape. The tennis player also expressed hope that she would be able to play in many more finals like this.

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Return after injury

Kartal resumed competing only last month after a six-month break due to a stress fracture in her back. In March, she withdrew from her fourth-round match at the Indian Wells tournament against Elena Rybakina, after which she had the longest break of her career.

The lengthy absence allows the athlete to use a protected ranking to enter tournaments over the next 12 months. Kartal said rehabilitation had been difficult, and that she intends to work on her physical fitness and aspects of her game that need improvement through the end of the season.

The Briton may soon skip the Japan Open in Osaka to recover after her performance in Wuhan. She is then considering participation in WTA 500 or WTA 250 tournaments in China, Hong Kong and India.