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 five 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.

“It means a lot. It tastes very sweet, I [must] admit,” Chwalinska said in her post-match press conference. “I feel like I still don’t realize that I won. So I feel like I just need a few days. But it feels special because after the French Open it was obviously amazing, but then I had some tough moments. I feel like people also were very rough towards me.

“And it took a toll on me as well. I’m just a human. So I need to admit it was very tough for me, but I kept working really hard. And I’m just very grateful that my hard work paid off today.”

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.

Chwalinska beats Swiatek to reach first WTA 1000 final in Wuhan

In the final, it appeared as if Maja’s magic had finally run out when Kartal broke for a 2-0 lead in the second set. The Brit then saved four break points in her next service game, prompting a brief moment of frustration from Chwalinska, before the Pole converted her fifth break-point opportunity to get back on serve.

“I feel like my energy level was very low at the beginning,” Chwalinska said. “But also, Sonay played amazing. I think she didn’t let me play my best tennis, so all credit to her for not letting me play [well]. I feel like I gradually started to play much better, much more aggressive, I would say.

“Also, the depth of my shots improved. So I didn’t feel well at the beginning, but what I’m proud of is the fighting spirit.”

After claiming the 71-minute second set, Chwalinska secured the decisive break for 3-2 in the third. A flurry of down-the-line winners and her patented “drop lob” combo then helped carry her to the biggest title of her career.

What a MOMENT for Maja 🤯 Maja Chwalinska claims her maiden WTA 1000 title in Wuhan! #dongfengvoyahwuhanopen https://t.co/o0F3gmaF5l

— wta (@WTA) October 18, 2026

The result lifts Chwalinska to a projected career-high No. 11 in the PIF WTA Rankings after starting the week at No. 22. Kartal is also expected to make a significant jump, climbing 120 spots from No. 170 to No. 50 after a six-month layoff due to a back injury that sent her ranking tumbling.

“I don’t predict the future so I don’t know what the future will bring,” Chwalinska said. “But I’m for sure very grateful for this place now. I started the season, I think, ranked like 140 and my goal was to be Top 100 this year. I think I did a pretty good job. And I’m very grateful for that.

“But I feel like there’s so much more to improve in my game and in myself. So that keeps me working.”