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The British player made a strong start, taking the opening set 6-2. Svitolina, the Ukrainian fifth seed, responded by winning the second set by the same score to force a decider. Kartal then found the decisive break late in the third set to complete the win in a match lasting just under two hours, according to the Lawn Tennis Association.
Kartal became only the second British woman to reach a WTA 1000 semi-final since the format was introduced, following Johanna Konta. The result also marked her second WTA Tour-level semi-final appearance.
The 24-year-old had returned to competition after missing more than six months with a stress fracture in her lower back. At Wuhan, she had already beaten Belinda Bencic and Jasmine Paolini before taking out Svitolina, adding three seeded opponents to her list of wins during the tournament.
Kartal was set to face Jelena Ostapenko for a place in the Wuhan Open final. The quarter-final result confirmed a career milestone for the British player and a notable exit for the fifth seed.
