Britain’s Sonay Kartal demolished two‑time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini to book a Wuhan Open quarter‑final slot. Can you believe it?
Returning from a six‑month back injury, Kartal surged to a 6‑2 6‑0 win, surrendering just two games to 15th seed Paolini.
Paolini’s error‑laden display handed Kartal the chance to claim every one of the final eleven games.
The victory ties the 24‑year‑old’s best showing at a WTA 1000 event, matching her Beijing quarter‑final run last year.
“From my side it was a pretty flawless performance, so I’m very happy with that one,” Kartal said, and for my money she’s a rising star.
Kartal’s surge this week could catapult her back into the top 100, and she now faces fifth seed Elina Svitolina.
Svitolina broke Guo Hanyu’s serve in both the opening and closing games, cruising past the Chinese wildcard 6‑1 6‑4.
Surprise French Open runner‑up Maja Chwalinska also booked a quarter‑final berth with a 6‑4 6‑1 victory over American Iva Jovic.
“I think it was quite a solid match from my side,” Chwalinska told reporters. “Iva is an amazing player, and I knew I had to bring my best today.”
“We endured many demanding rallies; the score doesn’t reflect how physical the match truly was,” she added.
Diana Shnaider outplayed sixth seed and Wimbledon finalist Karolina Muchova 7‑5 6‑3.
Iga Swiatek capitalised on Muchova’s loss, grinding past American Ashlyn Krueger 6‑1 6‑4 to stay on track for the WTA Finals.
A title would tighten Swiatek’s grip on Muchova in the race for the season‑ending WTA Finals at Indian Wells next month.
Swiatek, a fixture at the Finals since 2021, sits 10th with eight spots still up for grabs.
Zverev reaches Shanghai Masters semi‑finals. Will he carry this momentum into the season‑ending championships?
Top‑ranked Alexander Zverev, nursing an ankle issue, felt strong after beating Alex de Minaur 6‑4 6‑4 at the Shanghai Masters.
The German hit 80 % of his first serves and saved all five break points, setting up a semi‑final clash with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
“Both of us were playing really, really well. I was often out‑hitting Alex, which is tough from the baseline against his speed and the court pace here,” Zverev said after securing the year‑end No 1 ranking earlier this week.
“I felt good and I’m happy with the step up from the last couple of matches.”