In a twist of luck, British tennis sensation Sonay Kartal found herself making a dream run at the prestigious Indian Wells tournament, despite having initially lost in the qualifying rounds. Now the British third seed, currently ranked 83rd worldwide, has advanced to the third round of the tournament, following an astounding victory over 16th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Kartal’s journey to this point was nothing short of cinematic. After an initial setback in the qualifiers, she was unexpectedly ushered into the main draw as a ‘lucky loser.’ This unexpected entry marked her debut at the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 level. She has since capitalised on this fortuitous turn of events, storming through the initial rounds with aplomb.
The first round saw Kartal facing off against Varvara Lepchenko. Showing no signs of nerves, the 23-year-old Brit outplayed her opponent in straight sets. The second round presented a more formidable challenge, pitting her against the four-time titleholder Haddad Maia. However, Kartal rose to the occasion, dispatching the 16th seed with an impressive 6-2 6-1 victory in just over an hour. This triumph marked her first win against a top 20 player, making it the most significant achievement of her nascent career.
Interestingly, Kartal had not anticipated this success. Having failed to qualify initially, she hadn’t arranged for accommodation for the duration of the tournament. After her surprise entry into the main draw, she found herself in a scramble to find a new place to stay. “Correct,” she affirmed when asked if she had to switch hotels because she hadn’t anticipated a longer stay in Indian Wells.
Despite the sudden upheaval and a less-than-stellar night’s sleep, Kartal managed to keep her focus on the court. “I slept pretty badly and, for me, when something starts badly, I normally do a couple of things good,” she said in a post-match interview with Sky Sports. She added that she felt unusually ‘in the zone’ during her match against Haddad Maia.
Kartal, who made it to the third round at Wimbledon last summer, is relishing the experience of playing as a ‘lucky loser.’ She believes the tag lifts some of the pressure, allowing her to play more freely. “People always say it’s a good thing coming in. It’s my first time being a lucky loser as well so it’s definitely a good start,” she shared.
As she looks towards her next match against world No. 60 Polina Kudermetova, Kartal remains grounded. She plans to stick to her strategy of not paying too much attention to the draw and focusing on her game. “I’m excited, all these tournaments I’m playing new opponents and it’s new matches and it’s someone new. So I think I’ll do the same as I have previous days, do my research [and] put in loads of practice tomorrow,” she concluded.