Sonay Kartal continued her comeback from a six-month absence due to a back injury by securing a dominant victory over high-ranked opponent Belinda Bencic at the Wuhan Open. The British player won 6-0 7-5 in the second round, marking her latest impressive result since returning to competition.
Kartal’s injury recovery has progressed rapidly. She missed half the season with a stress fracture but returned last month at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen before reaching the third round in Beijing the following week. Bencic, ranked world No. 12 and a former Olympic champion, represented Kartal’s most significant victory since defeating Mirra Andreeva, who was ranked world No. 5 at the time, in Beijing the previous year.
Following her commanding performance, Kartal reflected on her recovery and the challenges ahead. She emphasized her satisfaction with her play but noted concerns about sustaining that level consistently. The British player said she saw encouraging signs of her form from before the injury, particularly in her composure and composure during the match.
In other tournament action, seventh seed Iga Swiatek advanced with a 6-2 6-1 victory over fellow Polish player Magdalena Frech. After dropping her opening service game, Swiatek won 10 consecutive games to establish control. Karolina Muchova completed a comeback from a deficit, defeating qualifier Caty McNally 3-6 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-4).
Kartal is currently ranked 170th but is guaranteed to jump approximately 40 positions in the rankings following her strong results at the tournament.
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