"The main priority was just to get back on court": Sonay Kartal set modest goal on return before Wuhan final

Tuesday, 20 October 2026 at 13:20

Sonay Kartal reached the final of the Wuhan Open losing out to Maja Chwalinska, but for the 24-year-old Brit it meant a lot more as a top 50 return beckoned and she was finally on the trajectory that saw her have such good form prior to injury.

Kartal became just the second Briton after Johanna Konta to play in a WTA 1000 final with wins over Belinda Bencic, Jasmine Paolini, Elina Svitolina and Jelena Ostapenko.

It was arguably the best run by a British female since Emma Raducanu's 2021 US Open run and Kartal has often been sent to the back of the pecking order when it comes to her coverage compared to her other Brits but continues to show why perhaps she is the talent to watch out of the current crop.

Kartal though even more staggeringly only returned to action last month following six months out due to a stress fracture in her back. To the point that even she didn't expect to reach the point she did.

Sonay Kartal rises again.

"We have had an unbelievable week. Not many people expected me to be here and bring these levels," said the 24-year-old.

"I hope I can be in many more of these finals. It was not the result I wanted today but those people in my box are the reason I am healthy, I am here and why I am back to fitness."

Modest goals for Kartal

Speaking previously about her rehab on the injury, it was very much that she was using these weeks as fuel to go towards the next part of the tennis season and 2027. But of course these plans had been ripped up and that she can now work on everything for the next year in a positive frame of mind.

"The rehab was tough. I think the main priority was to just get back on court and maybe I didn't do the big heavy lifting, which now I can do," said Kartal.

"I wanted to use these weeks to see where I'm at physically and what I need to improve and to see if I'm feeling how I was on the court from in March. The remainder of this year I'm going to work on those things and I'm excited to start next year already."

Kartal had a great end to 2025 prior to being injured and she had set herself a very modest goal in doing so that she only wanted to defend her points from these events and so everything else is a bonus. But it now keeps her in a very good stead heading towards 2027.

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She has since withdrawn from the Japan Open this week as expected, the same for Chwalinska in Ningbo and will regroup for the final push this season.

"I had one goal with this Asian swing was to just defend the points that I did from last year and I've done better than that so it's set me up incredibly for next year and put me in a very good spot," said Kartal.

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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