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Maja Chwalinska joins Naomi Osaka on exclusive list after winning the Wuhan Open title

Maja Chwalinska made history at the Wuhan Open by capturing her first WTA 1000 title, defeating Sonay Kartal in a thrilling three-set final (2-6, 6-4, 6-2) to close out the 2026 season. The 25-year-old Pole, who had begun the year ranked 146th in the world, now ascends to a career-high No.

11 after her semifinal victory over compatriot Iga Świątek. Chwalinska’s triumph places her among an exclusive group—joining Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu, and Victoria Mboko—as just the fourth player since 2009 to win a maiden WTA 1000 title.

She also became only the third left-handed player to claim such a victory, following Maria José Martínez Sánchez and Petra Kvitová, in her fourth WTA 1000 appearance of the year. Despite early exits in Toronto and Beijing, Chwalinska’s breakthrough in Cincinnati and now Wuhan underscores her rapid rise, cementing her status as one of 2026’s most dynamic storylines.

The win also marked the ninth different champion across WTA 1000 events this season, with Aryna Sabalenka the sole repeat winner after her Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami.

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