WTA / ATP: Welcome to the 1000 winners’ circle

Magic Maja silences the sceptics

In her own words, Chwalinska’s triumph in Wuhan tasted ever so sweet as she bounced back from a 2-6, 0-2 deficit to overcome Kartal 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a gruelling two hours and 43 minutes on Sunday.

Chwalinska started 2026 ranked 146 in the world and exploded onto the scene halfway through the year when she reached the Roland-Garros final as a qualifier, showcasing some mesmerising cerebral tennis.

Suddenly in the spotlight after a breakthrough campaign on Parisian clay, the Polish lefty needed some time to adjust to her new status as a Grand Slam finalist and she won just one match in a three-month period, going 1-5 in matches from Wimbledon through the US Open.

Chwalinska’s campaign has gained steam, though, in the last few weeks in Asia, as she reached the semi-finals in Singapore at the end of last month and is now a WTA 1000 champion, thanks to her efforts in Wuhan.

On her way to a maiden tour-level title at Wuhan’s Optics Valley International Tennis Centre, Chwalinska knocked out 10th-seeded Iva Jovic, former world No.3 Maria Sakkari and six-time major champion Iga Swiatek before her tight victory over Kartal.

It was the kind of success she desperately needed to affirm her position among the world’s best and to prove that Roland-Garros was no fluke.

The title also came with a career-high ranking of No.11 and 1,000 WTA ranking points.

“It means a lot. It tastes very sweet, I need to admit,” the 25-year-old Chwalinska told reporters in Wuhan.

“Yeah, I feel like I still don't realise that I won. I just need a few days. But it feels special because after Roland-Garros 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 work paid off.”

It was also a huge week for Kartal, who had plummeted down to 170 in the world rankings after missing six months of action with a spinal stress fracture.

Wuhan was just her second tour event back from injury and Kartal, who was ranked 44 in the world just 15 months ago, went on a giant-slaying spree to reach her second tour-level final and her first at the WTA 1000 level.

The 24-year-old Brit ousted Olympic champion and No.9 seed Belinda Bencic, two-time major finalist Jasmine Paolini, world No.6 Elina Svitolina and 2017 Roland-Garros winner Jelena Ostapenko to become the lowest-ranked finalist in WTA 1000 history.

“It was a very physical battle and I think I had my chances and I think that's maybe where the rust of six months off comes in,” said Kartal, who has re-entered the top-50 as a result of her Wuhan run.

“But overall I'm very happy with my performance. Obviously not the result I wanted and it's going to sting for a little while but I think for me the positives this week outweigh that result today. So yeah I'm leaving here head out high and in a good spot overall.”

Foki the escape artist

He saved a match point against Frances Tiafoe in round three, came back from a set down to defeat Hubert Hurkacz in the round of 16 and Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals, then rallied back from a set and a break down to knock out the 12th-seeded Jodar in the final – Davidovich Fokina had a dream fortnight in Shanghai to claim the third title of his career and a maiden Masters 1000 crown.

In Sunday’s final against his fellow Spaniard, Davidovich Fokina was down 1-6, 2-3 against Jodar before he managed to turn things around and complete a 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 victory in two hours and 28 minutes.

The 27-year-old from Malaga was sidelined for two months with a back injury and missed the US Open before returning to action in Chengdu last month.  

He won the title in Chengdu, and after an early exit in Tokyo, he flew to Shanghai and pulled off an impressive run that saw him upset two top-10 players en route to the biggest trophy of his career.

“I cannot describe with words what I achieved in this Chinese swing,” Davidovich Fokina was quoted by atptour.com. “I never thought I would have two titles after two months out.

“But I'm really, really happy. I think my team pushing me. It was difficult when I was at home, and they were pushing me very hard. They knew that I can achieve these kind of things. So I am very grateful [for] what they have done, because they were believing in me. And, of course, my wife supported me every day for two months. It's not easy.”

Davidovich Fokina was 0-5 in tour-level finals prior to this season but has now gone 3-0 in championship deciders in 2026.

His exploits in China have vaulted him from No.26 to a career-high No.13 in the world and he can enter the final weeks of the season brimming with confidence after his injury setback.

He revealed in Shanghai that he drew inspiration from one of his close friends on tour.

“I remember how Arthur Fils, who is a very good friend of mine and skipped a lot of tournaments this year, he came back stronger, winning matches. So that gave me a lot of power, that if he could do it, I could do it too,” said the Spaniard.

Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Jodar can take positives from his time in Shanghai, where he became the youngest finalist in tournament history and the first man born in 2006 or later to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final.

Jodar’s list of victims in Shanghai included Daniil Medvedev and Casper Ruud and he rises to a career-high No.11 in the world on Monday. He was ranked 210 twelve months ago...