British tennis star Sonay Kartal has reached the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open after upsetting three seeded players, including a quarter-final victory over Elina Svitolina. The 24-year-old beat the fifth seed 6-2 2-6 6-4 to set up a last-four meeting with Jelena Ostapenko.
Kartal has defeated Belinda Bencic, Jasmine Paolini and Svitolina in China, continuing her comeback from a lengthy injury layoff. She is now just the second Briton, alongside Johanna Konta in 2020, to reach this stage of a WTA 1000 event.
Homeless for 12 hours at Indian Wells
During a tournament last year, Kartal revealed she found herself without accommodation after her short-term flat tenancy expired while competing at Indian Wells. The Brighton-born player was eliminated in the final qualifying round and believed that would signal the end of her time in California.
Yet she received a lifeline when Sloane Stephens pulled out of the competition, granting Kartal entry into the main draw. Speaking at Indian Wells in March 2025, she said: "I booked an apartment to see me through qualifying so I had to find somewhere else to stay last minute. I was homeless for about 12 hours. But it was a good problem to have."
Breakout Wimbledon and injury setback
The reprieve proved beneficial, as Kartal advanced to the last 16, beating Varvara Lepchenko, Beatriz Haddad Maia and Polina Kudermetova along the way. Her quest for a second WTA Tour title ended against Aryna Sabalenka, who finished as runner-up.
Kartal enjoyed a breakout Wimbledon before being forced to miss this year's British Grand Slam due to a spinal stress fracture. She was sidelined for six months and had even been left unable to walk without pain, but returned to the WTA Tour late in the campaign to produce the best result of the entire British season, aside from Arthur Fery's fairytale run at SW19.
Surprised by her own level
Speaking about her semi-final opponent, Kartal said of Svitolina, who edged through 7-5 in a third-set tie-break: "I played her at the start of the year in Auckland. Today, despite winning the first set pretty comfortably, I knew it was never finished. Whatever the emotion, or whatever was going on at her end of the court, she was going to fight for every point. I knew the level she was going to bring and the grit and determination."
Kartal added: "I definitely did not think I would find this level this fast. It's a surprise to me. I've had my best wins in my third tournament back."
