Fit-again Kartal takes top-50 scalp with Wuhan win
Britain's Sonay Kartal continues her impressive form since returning from injury by beating Anhelina Kalinina in straight sets to reach the second round of the Wuhan Open.
British tennis player Sonay Kartal, who had been sidelined with a stress fracture in her back, has returned to form and secured her place in the third round of the Wuhan Open. Kartal, currently ranked 170th in the world, defeated Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina 7-5, 6-3 in a one-hour and 31-minute match. The British number five will now face Swiss ninth seed Belinda Bencic in the next round.
Kartal's impressive return to the court includes wins over Spain's Andrea Lazaro Garcia and Wang Xinyu in Beijing, as well as a narrow loss to Czech Marie Bouzkova at the Billie Jean King Cup team event. She secured her spot in the last-32 stage by defeating world number 48 Kalinina, serving four aces and winning 23 of 30 points when landing her first serve.
Zheng Qinwen, a fellow Chinese player, withdrew from her home tournament in Wuhan due to fatigue after an intense run of matches. Zheng had recently returned from elbow surgery and had struggled with form and fitness over the past year.
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