Poland’s Maja Chwalińska has defeated compatriot Iga Świątek to reach the Wuhan Open final, pulling off a major upset in the first all-Polish WTA Tour semifinal of the open era. The 25-year-old beat the six-time Grand Slam champion 7–5, 6–1 on Saturday to reach her first WTA 1000 final in Wuhan. The victory in China marks another milestone in a breakthrough season for Chwalińska, who stunned the tennis world by reaching the French Open final as a qualifier earlier this year. Her victory on Saturday has propelled Chwalińska to a career-high 12th place in the live WTA rankings. Chwalińska entered the semifinal having beaten Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-0, 3-6, 7-5 in the quarterfinals, while Świątek secured her place with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over American Ann Li. From doubles partners to rivals The two Polish players have known each other since childhood and previously competed together in junior doubles, finishing runners-up at the 2017 Australian Open. Świątek won their only previous professional encounter at an ITF tournament in Stockholm in 2016, when both were 15. Chwalińska will face Britain’s Sonay Kartal in Sunday's final, with a chance to claim the biggest title of her career. The match will begin at 12:30 Polish time. For Świątek, who has slipped to world No. 9 after a difficult season, the defeat marks another setback in her bid to qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals.