Maja Chwalinska wins first WTA title with Wuhan comeback against Sonay Kartal

Maja Chwalinska won her first WTA Tour title on Sunday, defeating Sonay Kartal 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the Wuhan Open final. The Polish 16th seed recovered from a set and a break down to complete the victory in two hours and 43 minutes, according to the WTA's match report. The result adds a WTA 1000 trophy to a season in which she also reached the French Open final.

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Kartal established control early, moving 3-1 ahead after the players exchanged breaks and taking the opening set on her third set point. The LTA reported that she then built a 2-0 advantage in the second set before Chwalinska broke back immediately. What had looked like a commanding position for the Briton became a much closer contest as the Polish player increased the pressure on return.

Chwalinska created 13 break points in the second set, according to the LTA. She eventually broke for 5-4 and served out to level the match. In the deciding set, a combination of a drop shot and lob helped her break for 3-2. Kartal could not recover that deficit, and Chwalinska completed the turnaround to take the championship.

The WTA said Chwalinska became the fourth player since the format began in 2009 to win her first tour title at WTA 1000 level, following Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu and Victoria Mboko. She had beaten compatriot Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals. The tour projected that the title would move her from 22nd to a career-high 11th in the rankings.

For Kartal, the final came in only her third tournament after a six-month injury absence, with the LTA describing it as her 10th match since returning. She is expected to rise from 170th to 50th and replace Katie Boulter as British number one on Monday. It would be her first time leading the national rankings despite falling short of the trophy.

BBC Sport reported that Kartal's route to the final included victories over Belinda Bencic, Jasmine Paolini, Elina Svitolina and Jelena Ostapenko. The 24-year-old had entered using a protected ranking following her back injury. Her week therefore ended with a final defeat but also a substantial recovery in her ranking after the lengthy period away from competition.