In the same year she reached a Grand Slam final as a qualifier, Maja Chwalinska captured her first WTA title, and she did it at the prestigious WTA 1000 level. The Pole fought back from a set down to defeat Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal 2-6 6-4 6-2 and triumph at the Wuhan Open on her tournament debut.
Playing in just her second tournament since returning from a six-month absence due to a back injury, the world No.170 Kartal made a strong start, racing to a 2-0 lead. Although Chwalinska briefly threatened to fight back with a break in the third game, Kartal quickly reasserted her dominance, stretching her advantage to 4-1. The Pole managed to hold serve just once throughout the opening set, as Kartal remained in control, moved confidently around the court and kept her composure to convert her third set point.
The 16th-seeded Chwalinska fought hard in a grueling second set, refusing to let Kartal run away with the match. Kartal picked up where she had left off in the opener, racing to a 2-0 lead, but, just as in the first set, Chwalinska broke back to make it 1-2 as signs of nervousness began to creep into Kartal’s game. This time, however, the world No. 22 went a step further, leveling at 2-2 before earning a crucial break in a lengthy seventh game, converting her fourth break point to move ahead 4-3. Kartal immediately hit back to level at 4-4, but Chwalinska broke again to lead 5-4 and held her nerve to convert her second set point, forcing a deciding set.
Displaying her remarkable touch with a series of exquisite lobs, Chwalinska turned the match around in spectacular fashion, surging to a 5-2 lead in the deciding set. Kartal produced a late fightback, earning three break points as the Pole served for the title, but Chwalinska held her nerve and converted her third match point to seal a memorable victory.
The 25-year-old Chwalinska made her breakthrough at Roland Garros earlier in 2026, reaching the final as a qualifier before finishing runner-up to Mirra Andreeva. She became only the second qualifier in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam singles final, after Emma Raducanu won the 2021 US Open.
At the Wuhan Open in China, she defeated Mayar Sherif, Marie Bouzkova, No. 10 seed Iva Jovic, Maria Sakkari and No. 7 seed Iga Swiatek to reach the final. Her semifinal victory over Swiatek marked her first career Top 10 win, and she capped off the week by beating Kartal to capture her maiden WTA title, while also denying the Briton the chance to become Britain’s No. 1 player.
As the Wuhan Open champion, Chwalinska will pocket $665,000 in prize money and earn 1,000 PIF WTA Ranking points. Kartal, meanwhile, will receive $385,001 and 650 ranking points for her runner-up finish.
