Sonay Kartal beats Anhelina Kalinina to reach Wuhan Open second round

Sonay Kartal beat Anhelina Kalinina 7-5, 6-3 at the Wuhan Open in China.

The British player, ranked 170th in the world, advanced to the second round after a match lasting an hour and 31 minutes.

Kalinina is from Ukraine and ranked 48th.

Kartal had been out for six months with a stress fracture in her back before returning to competition last month.

Earlier this month, she reached the third round in Beijing, her first WTA tournament since the injury.

Her next opponent in Wuhan is Swiss ninth seed Belinda Bencic.

The win continues Kartal’s return to form, while Zheng Qinwen has withdrawn from the tournament, saying she was fatigued after a demanding run of matches.