Kartal Wins on WTA Return After Injury Layoff

Sonay Kartal returned to the China Open after nearly six months out with a back injury and followed an opening win over Andrea Lazaro Garcia with a composed victory over Wang Xinyu, reaching the last 16. The British player, whose absence had seen her ranking fall to No. 129, said she was pleased to be back at the tournament after reaching its quarter-finals the previous year. Her next potential opponent, Elena Rybakina, was upset by unseeded Charaeva. Harriet Dart also impressed before losing in three sets to American Iva Jovic, while other tournament results included Carlos Alcaraz advancing and British players Cam Norrie and Arthur Fery suffering defeats.