Ranked 170 at the start of the week, Sonay Kartal saved six set points to stun Jelena Ostapenko and reach her first WTA 1000 final.
Sonay Kartal's fairytale return to tennis just got bigger. The 24-year-old Briton beat former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 7-6 (9), 7-6 (5) in the Wuhan Open semi-final on Saturday, booking a place in the biggest final of her career.
It was far from easy. Kartal trailed in both sets and had to survive six set points against Ostapenko's fearless, big-hitting game. She held her nerve each time, then took control in the tiebreaks to close out the win. All of this came in only her second tour-level event after six months out with injury.
The numbers behind the run are remarkable. Kartal began the week ranked world No 170, a result of her time away from the tour. She is now the lowest-ranked player to reach a WTA 1000 final since the tier was introduced in 2009.
The rewards are already locked in. Kartal will jump into the world's top 50 next week and overtake Katie Boulter as British No 1. Whatever happens in the final, the comeback has turned into one of the stories of the season.
