British number five Harriet Dart reached her maiden WTA Tour singles final after overcoming Chinese wildcard Sun Xinran in three sets at the Guangzhou Open. A tearful Dart stated that qualifying for the championship match “means the world” after securing a 5-7 7-6 (6-1) 6-0 victory in slightly under two and a half hours.
Match Journey and Decisive Sets
The 30-year-old qualifier fought back from an early 3-0 deficit in the first set after committing a double fault on break point during her opening service game. Dart rallied by dictating baseline points to win four consecutive service games and take a 5-4 lead. She experienced visible frustration following two more double faults while serving for the set, allowing the 16-year-old reigning US Open junior champion Sun to hold serve and break Dart for a third time to claim the opening set.
During the second set, Dart secured breaks in the first and fifth games but immediately surrendered her advantage both times. She maintained her composure while forced to serve twice to stay in the tournament before dominating the tie-break 7-1. During this phase, Dart had repeatedly complained to the chair umpire regarding the crowd.
With Sun facing emotional and physical difficulties, which included receiving a medical timeout for treatment on her left leg, Dart controlled the final set. She swept through the decider without dropping a game, winning 28 out of 41 points to complete the comeback.
Path to the Final and Rankings Impact
Dart made her WTA Tour debut back in 2015 in Eastbourne and was contesting just her second tour-level singles semi-final, following a previous appearance in the final four at the 2024 Transylvania Open. Reflecting on her career milestone, Dart explained to BBC Sport that it has been a prolonged journey filled with immense desire and a heavy emotional toll.
“It’s been a really long journey. I’ve wanted it so much, so badly – sometimes too much. To finally be here means the world,” said Dart, as reported by BBC Sport.
“I found it tough out there. It was a rollercoaster. Playing in this part of the competition, more nerves and more feelings come out. I was really battling with myself.”
“I’m proud of the second set and was able to turn it quickly.”
In Sunday’s final, Dart will meet either fourth seed Lilli Tagger or Kaitlin Quevedo. A victory in the championship match will guarantee her return to the top 100 of the WTA rankings, having already risen 14 spots to 101st in the live standings.
