WUHAN, China, Oct 17 (Reuters) – Iga Swiatek's quest for victory at the Wuhan Open was cut short by a left leg injury, resulting in her loss to fellow Pole Maja Chwalinska, who won the semi-final match 7-5, 6-1 on Saturday. Chwalinska, the French Open runner-up and a former junior doubles partner of Swiatek, will compete against Sonay Kartal in the final following Kartal's 7-6(9), 7-6(5) victory over Jelena Ostapenko in the other semi-final.
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Swiatek, who led 5-3 in the first set, was forced to take a medical timeout after Chwalinska rallied to take a 6-5 lead. Despite receiving treatment and continuing to play with her left thigh bandaged, Swiatek struggled to maintain pressure on her leg and had difficulty moving on the court. The two players, who have been friends since childhood, shared a handshake after their first competitive match in a decade.
Swiatek's physio, Maciej Ryszczuk, mentioned on X that he advised her several times to stop the match for her health, but she chose to continue playing. Chwalinska expressed her disbelief at her victory, 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."
With Swiatek’s defeat, world number six Elina Svitolina earned her place in the WTA Finals, becoming the seventh player to qualify, leaving one spot available.
In the other semi-final, Ostapenko faltered despite leading 4-1 in both sets against Kartal, who capitalized on Ostapenko's 41 unforced errors. Kartal remarked, "At times she is 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," as she advanced to her second career final.
Both Kartal and Chwalinska are set to play in their first WTA 1000 final on Sunday.