Harriet Dart secured a milestone moment in her decade-long professional career on Saturday, battling through a grueling three-set semi-final to reach her maiden WTA Tour singles final at the Guangzhou Open. The 30-year-old Briton overcame a volatile start and a resilient Chinese wildcard, Sun Xinran, to seal a 5-7, 7-6(1), 6-0 victory in two hours and 28 minutes.
Visibly emotional after the final point, Dart struggled to hold back tears as she reflected on the significance of the result. “It’s been a really long journey,” she said. “I’ve wanted it so much, so badly—sometimes too much. To finally be here means the world.”
The road to the final was far from straightforward. Dart, who made her tour debut in 2015, found herself in a hole early on. After hitting a double fault on break point in her opening service game, she trailed 3-0. While she showed characteristic grit to claw her way back and serve for the first set at 5-4, nerves hampered her performance. A series of double faults proved costly, and the 16-year-old Sun, the reigning US Open junior champion, capitalized on the lapse to reel off three straight games and steal the opener.
The second set developed into a high-stakes tactical battle. Dart took the lead twice, but each time Sun responded with an immediate break. With the pressure mounting and the local crowd vocal in their support of the teenager—prompting complaints from Dart to the chair umpire—the Briton was twice forced to serve to stay in the match. She held firm, eventually dominating the tie-break 7-1 to force a decider.
The momentum shifted entirely in the third set. Physically and emotionally drained, Sun required a medical timeout to treat a leg injury. Dart, finding her rhythm and composure, clinically dismantled her opponent’s game. The British number five dominated the final frame, winning 28 of the 41 points played to secure a “bagel” finish that booked her ticket to Sunday’s championship match.
“It was a rollercoaster,” Dart admitted after the match. “Playing in this part of the competition, more nerves and more feelings come out. I was really battling with myself, but I’m proud of the second set and the way I was able to turn it quickly.”
The victory has immediate implications for the rankings; Dart has already jumped 14 places to 101st in the live standings. Should she win Sunday’s final against either fourth seed Lilli Tagger or Kaitlin Quevedo, she is guaranteed a return to the world’s top 100.
Having previously stalled at the semi-final stage at the 2024 Transylvania Open, Dart will be hoping her “long journey” culminates in her first career title on Sunday.
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