Wuhan Open: Sonay Kartal beats Jasmine Paolini to reach quarter-finals

Kartal was riding the crest of a wave in the early part of the season, having broken into the world’s top 50, reached two WTA quarter-finals and recorded wins over top-class opponents.

Victories over 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys and former world number eight Emma Navarro in Indian Wells led to a meeting with now world number one Elena Rybakina in the fourth round.

However, Kartal was forced to retire with a back injury that proved more serious than first thought.

After initially hoping she would make a quick recovery, Kartal was left unable to brush her teeth without “being in agony”, leading to some difficult decisions.

Missing Wimbledon was a particularly tough choice, especially given she reached the fourth round of her home Grand Slam in 2025, but resigning herself to not rushing a comeback has proved wise.

Her first match back a little over three weeks ago – representing Great Britain at the BJK Cup – ended in a narrow defeat, before she won two matches to reach the Beijing third round in her WTA Tour return.

“At the BJK Cup, the level I produced was much higher than I thought and I left super happy,” Kartal said.

“Now I’m growing in confidence with every match I’m playing.”