Sonay Kartal may have fallen short in the final of the Wuhan Open, but her astonishing run shows there is a refreshing depth to British tennis.

After a match lasting two hours and 43 minutes, Maja Chwalinska claimed all 1,000 ranking points and her first WTA title, as Kartal was left scrambling for answers in the 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 win.

However, it was just six months ago that Kartal retired at Indian Wells with a back stress fracture that left her in pain doing tasks as mundane as brushing teeth or walking. She returned to the tour for the Billie Jean King Cup finals, and the final was her 10th match since, yet she achieved what only one other British woman has since 1990 by reaching a WTA 1000 final.

En route to the final, Kartal swept aside top opponents including Belinda Bencic, Jasmine Paolini, Elina Svitolina and Jelena Ostapenko before losing to the beguiling Chwalinska.

Kartal’s extraordinary run hands a much-needed impetus to British tennis in a year when its top two stars, Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper, have been besieged by injury and only able to take part in one grand slam between them.

For the first time in her career, Kartal will be the British No 1, something she said after the semi-final was “a dream of mine to achieve”.

More to follow…