Sonay Kartal's fairy-tale return to action continues as she came through a gruelling semi-final against Jelena Ostapenko at the Wuhan Open to reach only her second career tour-level final and first at WTA 1000 level.
The 24-year-old had to withstand a barrage of winners from the former French Open champion, early breaks of serve in each set and multiple set points, but ultimately held her nerve when it mattered most to come through 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-5).
Kartal is only playing her third tournament since returning to action after a back injury had sidelined her for six months and her run so far will see her climb back into the world's top 50 as well as become British number one.
Standing in her way in Sunday's final is perhaps another surprise package with Maja Chwalinska triumphing in the all-Polish semi-final against six-time Grand Slam winner and former world number one Iga Swiatek.
Chwalinska, who announced herself on the big stage with her magnificent run to the final of the French Open earlier this year, recovered from a double-break of serve in the first set to reel off four successive games from 5-3 down to take the opener against Swiatek before racing through the second to win 7-5 6-1.
Maja Chwalinska v Sonay Kartal Tips Summary
Best Bet - Over 21.5 Games @ 5/6
Alternative Bet - Maja Chwalinska to win @ 1/1
Bet Builder Tip - 1st Set: Over 8.5 Games, Over 8.5 Breaks of Serve, Over 0.5 Tie Breaks @ 13/2
Maja Chwalinska v Sonay Kartal Prediction
Best Bet: Over 21.5 Games @ 5/6
Given the level of opponent that both Kartal and Chwalinska have come up against so far, they will be feeling a fair degree of confidence that they can take the next step and land what would be the biggest title of their careers.
Having made a promising return to court in Beijing, Kartal has taken a huge step forward in this tournament, beating ninth seed Belinda Bencic in straight sets before downing fifth seed Elina Svitolina in a decider in the quarter-finals.
The soon-to-be British number one then showed her composure and mental strength to come through a roller-coaster of a semi-final against the big-hitting Ostapenko and stands on the brink of becoming only the second British woman after Johanna Konta to win a WTA 1000 event.
However, Chwalinska has proven herself more than capable of upsetting the odds too, having dispatched the 10th-ranked Iva Jovic for the loss of just five games, outlasting former world number three Maria Sakkari in the quarters before stunning compatriot Swiatek in the last four.
Both finalists have played with a greater consistency than their opponents up to this point and that should lead to a tight closely-contested final, which could very easily go to a third set.
Neither has a particularly dominant first serve but also doesn't cough up too many double faults, while their ability to stay in points has been a very successful asset so far.
Kartal has hit more winners than her opponent in only two of her five matches in reaching the final, and was outscored on that front by 50-13 against Ostapenko, but her ability to limit unforced errors has been crucial. She struck only 13 in her semi-final win while Ostapenko's more aggressive and risky approach led to 41.
Chwalinska has been operating in similar fashion and has in fact not beaten any of her five opponents on the winner count, matching Mayar Sherif's tally of 13 in her opening game the closest she has come.
Given this is a chance for WTA 1000 level glory, it may take a while for either player to really grab the initiative, but by the same token, both have shown their ability to turn a match around when needed.
Two closely-fought sets are expected at the very least, but a deciding set between two in-form players could very well be needed which makes the Over more appealing.
Alternative Bet: Maja Chwalinska to win @ 1/1
Kartal's run has been fantastic and she may feel that she has nothing to lose given the way this tournament has gone, but she started the week ranked 170th with Chwalinska at 22 and at the prices, the Pole is worth chancing to win.
Chwalinska already has the experience of a major final behind her, having reached the showpiece at Roland Garros, and that could work in her favour.
The Briton has been punching above her weight to upset the odds in getting this far, but she goes into Sunday's final as the favourite and that brings a different kind of pressure.
Having downed former world number one Swiatek, after the second-set stroll in particular, Chwalinska looks worth backing as an underdog.
Maja Chwalinska v Sonay Kartal Bet Builder Tip
- 1st Set: Over 8.5 Games
- Over 8.5 Breaks of Serve
- Over 0.5 Tie Breaks
Pays 13/2
Given what is at stake, this could take a while to ignite with a closely-fought first set expected.
Both sets in Kartal's last-four clash went to a tie-break, while Chwalinska came from a break down to win her first set against Swiatek 7-5.
With neither player having an overtly dominant serve, there could easily be a tie-break in the final too, while breaks of serve should be fairly commonplace.
There were eight breaks of serve in each player's last-four wins but with both having faced eight break points as well as creating plenty of their own and with this expected to go to a deciding set, that number could easily increase.
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Key Match Stats
- Sonay Kartal has won four of her five matches so far in straight sets although she needed two tie-breaks to win her semi-final
- Maja Chwalinska has been taken to a third set twice but has not lost more than six games in three of her wins
- The Briton has beaten two top-10 players en route to the final - Belinda Bencic (6-0 7-5) and Elina Svitolina (6-2 2-6 6-4)
- Chwalinska has also overcome two top-10 players - Iva Jovic (6-4 6-1) and Iga Swiatek (7-5 6-1)
- Kartal has fired only seven aces and eight double faults in the tournament
- Chwalinska has recorded only seven aces and six double faults
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
