Harriet Dart advanced to the Guangzhou Open semi-finals after overcoming Paula Badosa with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 comeback win, making her the fourth British player to reach a WTA Tour semi-final in 2026. The world number 115 had to battle through qualifying at the WTA 250 event following an early scare against Shek Ying Cheuk.
Dart Navigates Qualifying Scare to Reach Guangzhou Semis
The journey to the semi-finals in Guangzhou required an immediate fightback just to reach the main draw. Dart found herself a set and a break down against world number 632 Shek Ying Cheuk during the qualifying rounds last week. After turning that match around, the British number five swept past Tatiana Prozorova and Janice Tjen before facing former world number two Paula Badosa.
Against Badosa, Dart dropped the opening set before securing a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory. Well gosh it was an incredible battle, I thought Paula started really strong and I was always behind, I knew going in that it was going to be an incredibly tough match,
Dart said in her on-court interview. I just really needed to hang in there in the tough moments, and maybe I’d get a chance, and luckily I was able to take my chances today and very excited to be in the semi-finals.
What a way to win it ‼️Harriet Dart takes down No.2 seed Tjen in Guangzhou, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3!#GuangzhouOpen pic.twitter.com/l55sW6E4oF
This marks Dart’s first WTA Tour semi-final of the 2026 season and only the second of her career, following her run at the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca in 2024. Tennis is so stressful that to be able to have the opportunity to compete again tomorrow is a great opportunity for me,
Dart added. It has been a very long time since I’ve been in the business end of a tournament, so I’m just very excited to achieve that.
Dart now faces 16-year-old and US Open junior champion Xinran Sun. Victory over Sun would secure Dart a return to the top 100 in the rankings, granting her direct entry into next year’s Australian Open.
The 2026 British WTA Semi-Finalists
Dart joins Katie Boulter, Emma Raducanu, and Sonay Kartal as the cohort of British women reaching WTA semi-finals this year. Boulter leads the group with three semi-final appearances, capturing her fourth WTA title in Ostrava in February alongside semi-final runs at the Queen’s Club Championships and the Japan Open in Osaka.
Raducanu reached two finals in 2026, appearing in the title matches at the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca and the Queen’s Club Championships. Her run at Queen’s ended prematurely due to a stress fracture in her lower right leg, sidelining her since June after playing just 10 tournaments all year. Kartal similarly endured a six-month absence due to a back injury before returning during the Asian swing, where she reached the Wuhan Open final—making her only the second British player ever to reach a WTA 1000 final—before losing to Maja Chwalinska.
| Player | Semi-Finals Reached in 2026 | Notable Results |
|---|---|---|
| Katie Boulter | 3 | Won Ostrava (WTA 250); Semi-final at Queen’s (WTA 500) and Osaka (WTA 250) |
| Emma Raducanu | 2 | Finalist at Cluj-Napoca (WTA 250) and Queen’s (WTA 500) |
| Sonay Kartal | 1 | Finalist at Wuhan (WTA 1000) |
| Harriet Dart | 1 | Semi-finalist at Guangzhou (WTA 250) |
Ranking Implications and Upcoming Challenges
While Boulter remains the sole Briton to claim a WTA title in 2026, Dart carries the opportunity to alter the domestic rankings hierarchy in her upcoming match against Sun. Reaching the final in Guangzhou positions Dart to reclaim a spot inside the top 100, removing the need to contest qualifying rounds for the opening Grand Slam of next season.
