Maja Chwalinska battled from a set and a break down to capture her first WTA Tour title at the Wuhan Open on Sunday in China.
The 16th-seeded Chwalinska recorded a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over unseeded Sonay Kartal of Great Britain in the final of the event.
In the third set, Chwalinska saved three break points before ultimately serving for the match on her third match point. She immediately dropped to the ground and put her face in her hands to celebrate after Kartal’s return sailed long, ending the match in two hours, 43 minutes.
“I’m obviously very pleased to win the title here,” Chwalinska said in her post-match press conference. “It means a lot to me. I really am grateful for this moment. I had a great time here in Wuhan and I can’t wait to come back here next year.”
Chwalinska, 25, had 23 winners and took advantage of 36 unforced errors by Kartal.
She became just the third Polish player to claim a WTA 1000 crown, joining Agnieszka Radwanska and Iga Swiatek. Chwalinska moved closer to her maiden WTA Tour title with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Swiatek on Saturday.
The left-handed Chwalinska was the first southpaw to reach a Grand Slam and a WTA 1000 final in the same year since Petra Kvitova in 2019. She lost to Mirra Andreeva in straight sets at the French Open final.
“It means a lot. It tastes very sweet, I (must) admit,” Chwalinska said in her post-match press conference. “I feel like I still don’t realize that I won. So I feel like I just need a few days. But it feels special because after the French Open it was obviously amazing, but then I had some tough moments. I feel like people also were very rough towards me.
“And it took a toll on me as well. I’m just a human. So I need to admit it was very tough for me, but I kept working really hard. And I’m just very grateful that my hard work paid off today.”
It was the first time since the tournament’s inception that two players ranked outside the top 20 both reached the final. Chwalinska ranked No. 22 and Kartal, playing just her second tournament since a six-month injury layoff, was No. 170.
Kartal was the lowest-ranked player to reach a final at this level since the format was introduced in 2009. Kartal will be slotted 50th in the next rankings and Chwalinska will be 11th.
Kartal was chasing her second career title after winning a WTA 250 event in Monastir, Tunisia, in 2024.
–Field Level Media
