Kartal wins again as impressive comeback continues

Britain's Sonay Kartal beats former Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini in straight sets to reach the Wuhan Open quarter-finals. Sonay Kartal is playing in only her third tournament since a six-month injury absence Britain's Sonay Kartal continued her impressive comeback from long-term injury with a comfortable win over former Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini to reach the Wuhan Open quarter-finals. Kartal, 24, missed more than six months with a stress fracture in her back, but has won five of her seven matches since returning to action. The former world number 44 ruthlessly brushed aside Italian 15th seed Paolini in a 6-2 6-0 victory, further validating Kartal's patient approach to recovering from the first serious injury of her career.

It was another statement performance from Kartal, backing up her straight-set win over ninth seed Belinda Bencic in the previous round. "Against someone as good as Jasmine is, I knew I had to be solid from the start and not let up. From my side, it was a pretty flawless performance," Kartal said. 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 notable wins over top-class opponents. Victories over 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys and former world number eight Emma Navarro in Indian Wells