TENNIS: Chwalinska beats Kartal to win Wuhan Open title

French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska won her first title on the WTA tour as she shook off early nerves to beat Sonay Kartal 2-6 6-4 6-2 at the Wuhan Open final on Sunday.

Left-hander Chwalinska deployed a defensive right-handed lob to disrupt Kartal's flow and outwitted the Briton with changes in direction and winners into the corners.

Briton Kartal, 170th in the WTA rankings and the lowest-ranked finalist in a WTA 1000 tournament, dominated the first set with powerful forehands as her Polish opponent's drop shots and slices kept landing wide.

But 25-year-old Chwalinska, fresh off a win over childhood friend Iga Swiatek, fought back in the second set, dragging Kartal into long rallies and earning three breaks to force a decider.

Chwalinska, playing in her second final on tour, finished off the match by winning four games in a row.

-Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Purulia, India, editinmg by Ed Osmond/Reuters