Polish 16th seed Maja Chwalinska reached the first WTA 1000 final of her career after defeating an injury-stricken Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 at the Wuhan Open on Saturday, overcoming her childhood friend and fellow countrywoman in a one-sided finish.

Chwalinska will now face world number 170 Sonay Kartal in the final. The Briton made history by becoming the lowest-ranked player ever to reach a WTA 1000 final, edging past Jelena Ostapenko 7-6(9), 7-6(5) in a hard-fought encounter.

For Swiatek, the defeat was a significant setback. The six-time Grand Slam champion needed a title in Wuhan to boost her slim hopes of qualifying for the WTA Finals, but a left thigh injury severely restricted her movement against Chwalinska’s clever left-handed game.

Meanwhile, Chwalinska showed impressive composure under pressure as she continued a breakthrough season. The Pole had already enjoyed a remarkable run to the French Open final as a qualifier in June, and Saturday’s victory marked another major milestone in her career.

“Obviously Iga wasn’t 100 percent today, so I wish her all the best, of course,” said the 25-year-old, who was competing in just her fourth WTA 1000 main draw.

“It’s always tough to play against a fellow Polish player. She’s a great champion, a living legend, she won everything. So it was a great honour for me to share the court with her today.”

She added: “I think I still don’t really realise what’s going on and the fact that I won against her is actually crazy for me.”

The opening set was closely contested, with momentum shifting between the two players. Swiatek appeared poised to take control when she served for the set at 5-3, but she failed to convert two set points, allowing Chwalinska to fight her way back into the contest.

With the score at 5-6, Swiatek called for a medical timeout ahead of the 12th game. The Polish star was visibly distressed and in tears as medical staff treated her injured left thigh.

Chwalinska capitalised on the opportunity, saving break points before securing the opening set 7-5 after an 80-minute battle.

The second set brought further frustration for Swiatek. During the opening game, the visibly emotional former world number one engaged in an animated discussion with her strength and conditioning coach, Maciej Ryszczuk, while facing two break points.

The incident resulted in a time violation warning, and Swiatek subsequently lost her fifth consecutive game as Chwalinska tightened her grip on the match.

With her movement compromised, Swiatek struggled to mount a comeback against her opponent, who maintained her composure to close out a 7-5, 6-1 victory in two hours and eight minutes.

Chwalinska’s triumph sets up a final showdown with Kartal, giving the Polish star an opportunity to claim the biggest title of her career.