WUHAN, 19 October, 2026 (Ghufran): Poland’s Maja Chwalinska staged an impressive comeback to defeat Britain’s Sonay Kartal 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and claim the first tour-level title of her career at the Wuhan Open on Sunday. The 25-year-old, seeded 16th, recovered from a set and a break down to become only the fourth player to win her maiden tour-level title at a WTA 1000 event, joining Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu and Victoria Mboko. Chwalinska, who began the year ranked 146th in the world, had already made headlines by reaching the French Open final as a qualifier in June. Following her Wuhan triumph, she is set to climb to a career-high world ranking of No. 11 and make her debut in the top 20. Speaking after the match, Chwalinska said the victory felt special after the difficult period she experienced following her French Open success, adding that her hard work had finally paid off. Kartal dominated the opening set with powerful baseline shots, but Chwalinska gradually improved her game in the second set by extending rallies, chasing down balls and playing more aggressively. Despite saving 10 of 13 break points and taking an early 2-0 lead in the second set, Kartal was unable to prevent her opponent from levelling the match. Chwalinska then broke serve twice in the deciding set to secure the trophy on her third championship point after a gruelling two hours and 43 minutes. Kartal, who was playing only her second tournament after a six-month absence caused by a spinal stress fracture, entered the competition ranked 170th but is expected to return to the world’s top 50 after reaching the first WTA 1000 final of her career. Despite the defeat, the British player said she was pleased with her overall performance and would take positives from her run in Wuhan.