WUHAN, China, Oct 18 (Reuters) – French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska won her first title on the WTA tour as she shook off early nerves to beat Sonay Kartal 2-6 6-4 6-2 at the Wuhan Open final on Sunday.
Left-hander Chwalinska deployed a defensive right-handed lob to disrupt Kartal’s flow and outwitted the Briton with clever changes of direction and winners into the corners.
Briton Kartal, 170th in the WTA rankings and the lowest-ranked finalist in a WTA 1000 tournament, dominated the first set with powerful forehands as her Polish opponent’s drop shots and slices kept landing wide.
But Chwalinska, fresh off a win over childhood friend Iga Swiatek, fought back in the second set, dragging Kartal into long rallies and earning three breaks to force a decider.
Under pressure, Kartal struggled with netted returns in the third set, making 11 unforced errors as an emboldened Chwalinska won four games in a row to clinch victory.
“That was one heck of a battle,” said Kartal, who returned from a six-month injury layoff last month and is expected to break into the top-50 in the rankings.
Chwalinska, who became the first qualifier to reach the French Open final in June, credited her coaches for their help during the best year in the 25-year-old’s career, where she started as 146th in the world and is now likely to rise to a career-high 11th.
“I am very grateful for every person in my life, basically,” she said.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Purulia, India; Editing by Ed Osmond)
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