Sonay Kartal upset ninth seed Belinda Bencic 6-0 7-5 at the Wuhan Open on Wednesday, as the British player continued to rebuild her form after a long injury layoff.
Kartal reached a career-high ranking of 44 last year but has slipped to 170th in the world following a six-month absence through injury. The 24-year-old returned for Great Britain at last month’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals, reached the third round in Beijing last week, and then beat Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina in her opening match in Wuhan.
The win over Swiss world number 12 Bencic, a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, was the second-biggest victory of Kartal’s career by ranking. She will face Italian 15th seed Jasmine Paolini for a place in the quarter-finals.
“I trusted that I would be able to get my level back, I just didn’t know how quickly,” Kartal said.
“I did a lot of things right today, but I still think there’s a long way to go.
“I can produce the level, but can I sustain it? I think that’s going to be the hardest challenge. I’m happy to be back, I’m feeling good.”
Kartal suffered a stress fracture in her back in March, which caused her to miss three of this year’s four Grand Slams, including Wimbledon. Before that break, she was in strong form. She beat American top-20 seeds Emma Navarro and Madison Keys at Indian Wells, then retired against Elena Rybakina in the third round because of the back problem. The Briton, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, has now won four of her five matches since returning to the WTA Tour. In Beijing, she beat Chinese 31st seed Wang Xinyu.
Sabalenka loses unexpectedly again as pattern continues
Four-time major champion Aryna Sabalenka suffered an early exit in Wuhan, losing to American Ann Li in a dramatic second-round match. Top seed Sabalenka had a bye in round one, but she fought off nine match points before 31st-ranked Li finally closed out a 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5) victory on her 10th opportunity.
It was Sabalenka’s second straight defeat, following her loss to world number 34 Nikola Bartunkova in Beijing last week. The 28-year-old Belarusian needed treatment for a knee injury in Wuhan. She led by a set and a break before Li turned the match around.
Sabalenka saved five match points at 5-2, two more at 5-4, and another pair in the tie-break, but she still lost to an opponent ranked well below her. That pattern has hurt the world number two during a frustrating season.
“It was a crazy match. I didn’t start well and I missed opportunities, but she played well on those match points,” said Li, 26, who recorded the biggest win of her career.
Sabalenka’s exit came shortly after American second seed Jessica Pegula lost 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-3 to Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko. Former world number one Iga Swiatek did advance on Wednesday, recording her 40th win of the season with a 6-2 6-1 victory over fellow Pole Magdalena Frech.