Chwalinska rallies past Kartal to claim Wuhan Open title

No. 16 seed Maja Chwalinska of Poland came from a set down to defeat Britain's Sonay Kartal 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and claim her first WTA 1000 title, while top seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani won the doubles title with straight-set victory over third seeds Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova, reported Xinhua.

Kartal made a fast start in the opening set, winning four of the first five games before taking it 6-2. She broke first again in the second to lead 2-0, but Chwalinska recovered to level at 2-2 and broke late before serving out the set 6-4.

In the decider, after Kartal held the opening game, Chwalinska took control, winning five straight games with two breaks before closing out the set 6-2 to complete the comeback.

"I feel like my energy level was very low at the beginning, but also Sonay played amazingly. I think she didn't let me play my best tennis," Chwalinska said. "I feel like gradually I started to play much better, much more aggressively, and also with more depth of my shots."

"I feel like what I'm proud of is the fighting spirit that I had, and I just wanted to fight for every single," she added.

This season, Chwalinska made a breakthrough at the French Open, advancing all the way to the final after coming through qualifying. She then endured several first-round exits during the grass-court season and the North American swing before gradually rediscovering her form in Asia.

"It [the title] means a lot to me. It tastes sweet, and I feel like I still don't realize that I've won," she said.

"It feels special because after the French Open, that was obviously amazing, then I had tough moments, but I kept working. I'm just grateful that my work paid off."

On her way to the Wuhan Open title, Chwalinska upset 10th-seeded American rising star Iva Jovic as well as seventh seed and compatriot Iga Swiatek. Following her triumph, Chwalinska climbed to No. 11 in the world rankings.

In the doubles final, top seeds Dabrowski and Stefani defeated third-seeded defending champions Hunter and Siniakova 7-5, 6-4 to lift the trophy.