Chwalinska wins first WTA 1000 title in Wuhan
The Pole recovered from a set and a break down to complete a breakthrough week.
Maja Chwalinska won the biggest title of her career at the Wuhan Open, rallying past Sonay Kartal 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in two hours and 43 minutes.
The 25-year-old Pole trailed by a set and a break before winning five straight games in the decider. It is her first professional title at tour level and makes her only the fourth player since 2009 to claim a maiden title at WTA 1000 level, according to the WTA.
Chwalinska defeated Iga Swiatek in the semifinals and is projected to rise from No. 22 to a career-high No. 11. Kartal, playing her first event since a six-month back-injury layoff, is projected to climb to No. 50.
The title also made Chwalinska the first left-handed WTA 1000 champion since Petra Kvitova in Miami in 2023.
