Sonay Kartal edges Jelena Ostapenko in tight semi-final to reach Wuhan Open final

The match lasted two hours and 15 minutes on Dongfeng Voyah Centre Court and was a high-quality, high-tension affair decided by two closely contested tiebreaks.

Kartal, ranked outside the top 150 after a lengthy injury absence, showed exceptional composure under pressure to secure her place in a first career WTA 1000 final.

Both sets followed a similar pattern with Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, using her powerful serve and aggressive baseline game to create opportunities, but Kartal's consistency and clean ball-striking allowed her to stay level.

The Briton converted all four of her break-point chances in the match, while Ostapenko managed only four from eight which proved to be the difference between the two.

In the first-set tiebreak, Kartal edged a lengthy battle 11- and then repeated the feat in the second, taking it 7-5 to close out the victory.

Ostapenko finished with nine aces to Kartal's one but also committed more double faults, and her higher error count ultimately proved costly in the decisive moments.

The result marks another significant milestone in Kartal's impressive comeback. After missing more than six months with a stress fracture in her back, the 24-year-old has beaten a string of higher-ranked opponents in Wuhan, including Belinda Bencic, Jasmine Paolini and fifth seed Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals.

Kartal will face either world No. 2 Iga Swiaek or compatriot Maja Chwalinska in Sunday's final.

The win makes her only the second British woman, after Johanna Konta, to reach a WTA 1000 final since the category's introduction.

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