Photo via Yahoo Sports

New No 1 Sonay Kartal gives rare positive spin to British tennis

British tennis has received a rare shot of optimism after Sonay Kartal secured the top ranking spot for the first time in her career. Kartal’s remarkable journey to the WTA 1000 final in Wuhan—where she defeated top-tier opponents like Belinda Bencic, Jasmine Paolini, Elina Svitolina, and Jelena Ostapenko—culminated in a hard-fought loss to Maja Chwalinska in the championship match.

Despite falling short in the final, Kartal’s run has injected momentum into a year marked by injury struggles for the nation’s other leading players, Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper, who have managed just one Grand Slam appearance between them. Kartal’s ascent to No 1 follows a dramatic comeback from a back injury that sidelined her for months, including a painful recovery that limited her to basic daily tasks.

Her achievement is all the more notable as only one other British woman has reached a WTA 1000 final since 1990, underscoring the significance of her breakthrough performance.

Up nextTennis· 2h ago

Annabel Croft explains why she thinks Emma Raducanu ending her 2026 season now would be a smart decision