WUHAN, China, Oct 17 (Reuters) – A left-leg injury hindered Iga Swiatek during her semi-final match at the Wuhan Open, leading to a loss against fellow Pole Maja Chwalinska, who won 7-5, 6-1 on Saturday. Chwalinska, a former junior doubles partner of Swiatek and the French Open runner-up, will face Sonay Kartal in the final after Kartal defeated Jelena Ostapenko 7-6(9), 7-6(5) in the other semi-final.
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Swiatek began the match strongly, holding a 5-3 lead in the first set, but Chwalinska saved two set points and turned the momentum to lead 6-5. Following the loss of her lead, Swiatek requested a medical timeout. After treatment, she returned to the court with her left thigh bandaged but struggled to move effectively.
Upon completing the match, the two childhood friends shared a handshake, marking their first competitive meeting in a decade. Chwalinska expressed her admiration for Swiatek, stating, "She is a great champion, living legend, she won everything. So it was a great honour for me to share the court with her today. The fact that I actually won against her is actually crazy for me."
With Swiatek's defeat, world number six Elina Svitolina secured a spot in the WTA Finals, becoming the seventh player to qualify for the year-end championship.
In the other semi-final, former French Open champion Ostapenko struggled with her performance, squandering a 4-1 lead in both sets and finishing with 41 unforced errors. Kartal, ranked 136 places below Ostapenko, maintained composure and celebrated her second final on the tour, saying, "At times she’s unplayable and sometimes you just have to ride the wave. Mentally, I think this is one of the best performances I’ve had in my career."
Both Kartal and Chwalinska will be competing in their first WTA 1000 final, scheduled for Sunday.