It was a milestone tournament for the 24-year-old, who is now the British No.1 for the first time in her career.

With many positives and highlights from Kartal’s campaign in Wuhan, we break down the five biggest takeaways from her performances.

Kartal can beat the very best

Over the last couple of years, there have been strong signs that Kartal has the level to compete at the very top.

She won the Monastir WTA title in 2024, has reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, and knocked out a top-five player and now Grand Slam champion, Mirra Andreeva, at last year’s China Open.

But her wins in Wuhan were the clearest indicator to date that she can consistently produce the level of tennis needed to beat the world’s best across a one-week event.

The Briton saw off a former Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic, two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini, world No.6 Elina Svitolina and 2017 Roland Garros winner Jelena Ostapenko

Being able to string together a series of results against some of the world’s best players is what separates the biggest stars from the rest of the tour. This was a big step for the young Brit and will give her the confidence that she can replicate similar results at more of these events going forward.

Composure in the pressure moments

One of the defining qualities of Kartal’s game is her calm, composed demeanor on the court. Whether she’s winning or losing, the Brit always appears relaxed and this helps her get over the line in key moments.

In her semi-final against Ostapenko, she trailed by a break in both sets and saved six set points but stayed cool and calm in the defining points. Her straight-sets victory over the now world No.24 was one of the gutsiest performances of her career to date.

Against Svitolina in the quarter-finals, one of the biggest matches she’s ever played, Kartal managed to strike the final blow in the closing stages of a tight three-set battle. The Brit broke in a key pressure moment at 5-4 in the third to knock out the fifth seed in stunning fashion.

Even in the first match against world No.51 Anhelina Kalinina, Kartal fell 5-2 behind and a double break in the opening set, and still managed to come back and win it 7-5, 6-3.

Whatever situation is thrown her way, Kartal rises to the occasion and that composure in the big moments was a real standout in Wuhan.

Remarkable injury recovery

The Wuhan Open was only Kartal’s second tour-level event since returning from a six-month back injury that put her out for most of the season.

Returning from a long-term injury can often take players a while to get back up to full speed and reach the level they’ve shown prior.

Not for Kartal. The Brit impressed in her first match back at the Billie Jean King Cup against Czech star Marie Bouzkova and has just gone from strength to strength.

Achieving a career-best performance at a WTA 1000 tournament less than one month into your injury return is hugely impressive and a testament to Kartal’s character and the work by her and the team behind-the-scenes to get back to this point.

Winning in style

It wasn’t just the wins that were impressive from Kartal – it was the way in which she was managing to sail past some of the best stars on the WTA Tour.

In the second round, Kartal came out the blocks flying against former Wimbledon semi-finalist Bencic and raced through the first set with a bagel in just 27 minutes.

If that wasn’t impressive enough, her third round victory over Paolini was another level. From 2-2 in the first set, Kartal won 10 consecutive games to punch her ticket into a second WTA 1000 quarter-final.

Known for her relentless competitiveness, court coverage and consistency, Kartal showed a different, more ruthless side to her game, ultimately finishing in at least two of the best scorelines in British tennis this season.

Elite level returning

There were many aspects of Kartal that shone brightly during the tournament, but her return of serve was key to her success.

The new British No.1 won 70% (28/40) points when facing Paolini’s serve during the third round and she was able to capitalise on second serves in other matches throughout the draw.

With her confidence growing as the event went on, Kartal had the belief to take the return early and place the ball in difficult areas of the court.

Facing Ostapenko in the semis, she won 61% (19/31) points against the Latvian’s second serve, and 68%(19/28) vs Bencic's second serve.

Kartal had 28 breaks of serve across her six matches, showing just how difficult she made life for her opponents and the pressure she was able to sustain from start to finish.