Sonay Kartal dominates Jasmine Paolini to reach Wuhan quarters

Sonay Kartal defeated 15th seed Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-0 to reach the Wuhan Open quarter-finals. The British player, 24, has not dropped a set in victories over Anhelina Kalinina, Belinda Bencic, and the former Wimbledon finalist Paolini this week, winning five of her seven matches since returning from a six-month injury layoff.

Kartal will meet Elina Svitolina in the last eight on Friday.

From injury layoff to WTA Tour resurgence

Sonay Kartal spent six months away from tennis to recover from a serious stress fracture in her back. The injury forced her to retire from competition and was more severe than initially thought, leaving her in such agony she was unable to brush her teeth. It caused her to miss Wimbledon.

Her comeback has been impressive. Since returning, she has secured five wins from seven matches. Those include notable victories over Madison Keys and Emma Navarro at Indian Wells earlier this season. "Against someone as good as Jasmine is, I knew I had to be solid from the start and not let up," Kartal said.

Comeback trail: BJK Cup debut to Wuhan quarter-finals

Kartal made her competitive return last month, representing Great Britain in a narrow defeat at the Billie Jean King Cup team event. She then won two matches to reach the third round in Beijing as she resumed her WTA Tour schedule.

Using a protected injury ranking to enter the Wuhan Open, she handled through the last-32 stage and now finds herself in a premier quarter-final. "From my side, it was a pretty flawless performance," she remarked after dismissing Paolini.

Established top-50 form before injury interruption

Before the back issue halted her progress, Kartal had firmly established herself as a top-50 player. Earlier this season, she broke into that elite group, reached two WTA quarter-finals, and advanced to the fourth round of her home Grand Slam in 2025.

Following her wins at Indian Wells, she met Elena Rybakina in a tournament fourth round. The extended time off due to her recurring back problem saw her ranking fall to 170th in the world.

Sonay Kartal will meet Elina Svitolina in the Wuhan Open quarter-finals on Friday.