Staying patient was essential for Kartal as she coped with a back stress fracture, having previously introduced herself to the broader British public by advancing to the last 16 at Wimbledon the previous year.
Back in March at Indian Wells, Kartal secured impressive victories over 2025 Australian Open winner Madison Keys and 2024 US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro, though a back injury compelled her to withdraw during her fourth-round clash against current world number one Elena Rybakina.
The injury turned out to be far more severe than initially anticipated, resulting in the most extended layoff from professional competition of Kartal’s entire career.
Nevertheless, her comeback to the WTA Tour has been so seamless that it feels as though she never stepped away.
Renowned for her reliable baseline play, exceptional physical agility, and fierce determination, Kartal expanded her collection of major wins in Wuhan by defeating Ukrainian player Svitolina 6-2 2-6 6-4.
In the round of 16, Kartal overcame Italy’s 15th seed Jasmine Paolini—a runner-up at both Wimbledon and Roland Garros in 2024—building upon her second-round triumph against Switzerland’s ninth seed Belinda Bencic, the 2021 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist.
Having resumed competitive play just over three weeks ago—making her return while representing Great Britain in the BJK Cup—Kartal has secured victory in six out of her eight matches.
Her upcoming opponent is 2017 Roland Garros winner Jeļena Ostapenko, who navigated a tightly contested first set before defeating 11th seed Diana Shnaider 7-6 (8-6) 6-1.
Following Johanna Konta, Kartal becomes only the second British woman to advance to a WTA 1000 semi-final since the category was established in 2009.
“This stands as one of the finest tennis weeks of my life—in terms of results, you could say it’s the absolute best,” Kartal remarked.
“I am thrilled to be back competing at this tier. Putting together an outstanding performance in just one match is easy enough, but I’m delighted to have maintained this level of consistency.”
