From BBC Sport · · 1m 40s
Kartal beats Svitolina to reach Wuhan semi-final
Britain's Sonay Kartal defeats world number six Elina Svitolina 6-2 2-6 6-4 to reach her first WTA 1000 semi-final, just three weeks after returning from a six-month back injury.
In brief
Britain's Sonay Kartal defeats world number six Elina Svitolina 6-2 2-6 6-4 to reach her first WTA 1000 semi-final, just three weeks after returning from a six-month back injury. Sonay Kartal reached her first WTA 1000 semi-final by beating world number six Elina Svitolina at the Wuhan Open, three weeks after…
Kartal's risky return pays off
Sonay Kartal, twenty-four, faced a choice after six months out with a back injury. She could ease back at lower-ranked tournaments or use a protected injury ranking to enter WTA one thousand events against the…
“I decided to throw myself in the deep end and play the best players in the world.”
Beats Svitolina in quarter-final
On Friday, Kartal beat world number six Elina Svitolina six two, two six, six four at the Wuhan Open to reach the first WTA one thousand semi-final of her career.
“I didn't expect to be back at this level this quickly.”
Serious injury forced long break
Kartal announced herself at Wimbledon last year by reaching the fourth round. She won impressive victories over Madison Keys and Emma Navarro at Indian Wells in March, but a stress fracture in her back forced…
Impressive run since return
Since returning to competitive action little more than three weeks ago at the BJK Cup, Kartal has won six of her eight matches.
“It's one of the best tennis weeks of my life.”
Historic achievement for Britain
Kartal is only the second British player, after Johanna Konta, to reach a WTA one thousand semi-final since the format's introduction in two thousand nine.
Faces Ostapenko in semi-final
Next up for Kartal is two thousand seventeen French Open champion Jeļena Ostapenko, who beat eleventh seed Diana Shnaider seven six, eight six, six one in the quarter-finals.
What it means
Sonay Kartal reached her first WTA 1000 semi-final by beating world number six Elina Svitolina at the Wuhan Open, three weeks after returning from a six-month back injury.
