flag
back Back
Chwalinska vs. Kartal: Everything to know about the Wuhan final

WUHAN -- A new WTA 1000 champion will be crowned in Wuhan.

At the Dongfeng • Voyah Wuhan Open, No. 16 seed Maja Chwalinska seeks her first-career WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz title while Sonay Kartal, who is two tournaments back from a six month injury layoff, eyes her tour-level second championship.

This is the first time since the tournament's inception in 2014 that two players ranked outside the top 20 have made the final -- Chwalinska is World No. 22 and Kartal is World No. 170.

From the order of play and head-to-head history to prize money and more, here's everything you need to know about Sunday's Wuhan final.

When are the Wuhan finals?

The doubles final begins play on Center Court at 2:30 p.m. local time, followed by the singles final, not before 5 p.m.

Time conversions for singles final: NB 5 a.m. EST , 10 a.m. CEST 

How did each singles player reach the championship?

Chwalinska
First round: def. Mayar Sherif 6-3, 6-2
Second round: def. [16] Marie Bouzkova 1-6, 6-1, 6-1
Third round: def. [10] Iva Jovic 6-4, 6-1
Quarterfinal: def. Maria Sakkari 6-0, 3-6, 7-5
Semifinal: def. [7] Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1

With her win over Swiatek, Chwalinska has earned two top 20 wins this season. She's into her first final since her Cinderella run at Roland Garros. 

Kartal
First round: def. Anhelina Kalinina 7-5, 6-3
Second round: def. [9] Belinda Bencic 6-0, 7-5
Third round: def. [15] Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-0
Quarterfinal: def. [5] Elina Svitolina 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
Semifinal: def. Jelena Ostapenko 7-6(9), 7-6(5), 

Kartal is into her second career tour-level final after winning the championship at the WTA 250 at Monastir, Tunisia in 2024. Every opponent she has beaten in Wuhan is ranked within the top 50.

After a season-long race, the world's top players converge in the California desert with the WTA's biggest title still to be won.

What are the ranking points and prize money at stake?

In Wuhan, a total of USD $4,088,211 was available in prize money, and the singles champion will receive $665,000. The finalist will take home $385,001. In doubles, the winning duo splits $195,000 and runners-up earn $110,010.

As with all WTA 1000 events, 1000 ranking points are on the table in both the PIF WTA Rankings and the Race to the WTA Finals at Indian Wells, while the runner-up earns 650 points. Any change in rank is based on how the player performs in the tournament compared to the points earned in the same week last year. 

Regardless of win or loss, Kartal is projected to improve around the top 50 in the PIF WTA Rankings, while Chwalinska is projected to be in the top 15. 

By the numbers

Chwalinska

2: Chwalinska is just the second player to make her first two career tour-level level finals at a Grand Slam and Tier I/WTA-1000 event since the format was introduced in 1990. (Amelie Mauresmo (Berlin 1998 and Australian Open 1999).

7: Chwalinska is the first left-handed player to reach a Grand Slam and WTA 1000 final since Petra Kvitova seven years ago in 2019.

Kartal

3: Since the format’s introduction in 1990, Kartal is the second British player to advance to Tier I/WTA-1000 final after Johanna Konta (Beijing 2016, Miami 2017, Rome 2019).

7: After a six-month injury layoff following Indian Wells, Kartal is 7-1 in tour-level matches since returning to the WTA Tour. She advanced to the Round of 32 in Beijing

170: Among ranked players since 1990, Sonay Kartal, World No. 170, is the lowest ranked player to make a Tier I/WTA 1000 final (Jennifer Capriati reached the final as an unranked player in Hilton Head in 1990).

What they had to say?

Kartal

1. "Today was a dream come true. I've been shooting to get this far in one of these events for a very long time and to be able to do it this fast after so long out.

2. "In every match, I've kind of been the underdog in this event. I think the only pressure is kind of the pressure that I'm putting on myself, regardless of how long I spent out, I still expect to offer a good performance and very proud of what I've managed to achieve this week.

"There's a lot of first time things that I've managed to do. With each match, I've grown in confidence, and the atmosphere today was amazing."

You may like

Week in review: The moment of Maja's career and Kartal's improbable run

wtatennis.com 1 day ago

Kartal battles past Ostapenko in Wuhan to secure spot in first-ever WTA 1000 final

theguardian.com 4 days ago

Rankings Watch: Chwalinska makes Top 20 debut, Kartal vaults 121 places

wtatennis.com 2 days ago

Injured Iga Swiatek loses last chance to qualify for WTA Finals after withdrawing from Ningbo event

straitstimes.com 1 day ago

Chwalinska rallies past Kartal for first WTA title in Wuhan

wtatennis.com 3 days ago

Vote: Which was your favorite WTA 1000 title run of 2026?

wtatennis.com 1 day ago

Injured Iga Swiatek goes down fighting in Wuhan Open semi-final

straitstimes.com 4 days ago

Chwalinska wins all-Polish semifinal to reach Wuhan final

wtatennis.com 4 days ago

Advantage Kartal or Chwalinska? Making the case for the Wuhan finalists

wtatennis.com 4 days ago

Chwalinska fights back to win Wuhan Open in title breakthrough

thehindu.com 2 days ago