Kartal upsets Svitolina to reach Wuhan semi-finals

In Wuhan, China, Elina Svitolina, the fifth-seeded player, was defeated in the Wuhan Open quarterfinals on Friday. She lost the match 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to British player Sonay Kartal. Kartal, ranked 170th, had been sidelined for over six months due to a back injury. Upon her return to the elite tour, she has won six out of her eight matches.

Kartal defeated Jasmine Paolini to reach the quarterfinals after eliminating ninth-seeded Belinda Bencic, the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist, in the second round. She broke Svitolina's serve in the final game to clinch the victory. Kartal's ranking peaked at No. 44 in July last year. Svitolina had previously lost in the quarterfinals at the China Open to eventual champion Zheng Qinwen.

Kartal advanced to face 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the semifinals, who had defeated 11th-seeded Diana Shnaider 7-6 (6), 6-1. Seventh-seeded Iga Swiatek was set to play a quarterfinal against American Ann Li, who had upset top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the second round. The winner of that match would face either Maria Sakkari or Maja Chwalinska in the semifinals.