Chwalinska’s breakout season reaches new heights with a WTA 1000 title in Wuhan
It hadn't always been smooth sailing for Maja Chwalinska since her breakthrough at Roland Garros earlier this year, but the 25-year-old proved her run to the final in Paris was no fluke with another remarkable week in Wuhan, capturing her first career title.
The No. 16 seed rallied from a set and a break down and faced a critical juncture at 4-all in the second set before forcing a decider. She then won the final four games -- saving three break points while serving for the match -- to defeat World No. 170 Sonay Kartal 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in 2 hours, 43 minutes and lift the 2026 Dongfeng · Voyah Wuhan Open trophy.
"I'm obviously very pleased to win the title here," Chwalinska said in her post-match press conference. "It means a lot to me. I really am grateful for this moment. I had a great time here in Wuhan and I can't wait to come back here next year."
Chwalinska is the fourth player on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz since the format's introduction in 2009 to win her first title at the WTA 1000 level, joining Naomi Osaka (Indian Wells 2018), Bianca Andreescu (Indian Wells 2019) and Victoria Mboko (Montreal 2025).
She is also the fourth player to win a maiden WTA 1000 title this season, following Karolina Muchova (Doha), Marta Kostyuk (Madrid) and Zheng Qinwen (Beijing).
CHAMPION IN WUHAN 🏆 Maja Chwalinska seals the victory and claims her first WTA 1000 title after defeating Kartal in three sets 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. #dongfengvoyahwuhanopen https://t.co/UZOeMbcJKY
— wta (@WTA) October 18, 2026
The title carried added significance. Chwalinska became the first left-hander to win a WTA 1000 title since Petra Kvitova in Miami in 2023 and just the third Polish player to claim a WTA 1000 crown, after Agnieszka Radwanska and Iga Swiatek. She defeated Swiatek in the semifinals en route to the title.
Swiatek was just one piece of a challenging championship puzzle for Chwalinska, who came from a set down against Marie Bouzkova in the second round before defeating No. 10 seed Iva Jovic and former World No. 3 Maria Sakkari to reach the semifinals.
There, she rallied once again in the first all-Polish semifinal at a WTA-level event in the Open Era, saving two set points and winning the final four games of the opening set from 5-3 down before completing a straight-sets victory.
More to come...
