The fairytale journey of British tennis player Sonay Kartal at Indian Wells came to a jarring halt on Wednesday as she fell to a crushing defeat in the fourth round. Kartal, who holds the rank of British No. 3, had been riding a wave of success at the tournament, finding her way into the last 16 without losing a single set. However, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka proved to be an insurmountable obstacle for the relatively green Brit, who was playing her first WTA 1000 tournament.
Kartal started strong, managing to break Sabalenka in the first game. However, this early success was short-lived as the game swiftly spiraled out of her control. Sabalenka, a three-time Major winner, swiftly turned the tide, securing a clean 6-1, 6-2 victory.
Despite the defeat, Kartal’s journey to the Californian desert was far from a wasted trip. After a near miss in the final round of qualifying, she was handed a lifeline when Sloane Stephens withdrew due to injury. This stroke of luck gave Kartal a spot in the main draw.
With a newfound sense of liberation, the 23-year-old Kartal demonstrated her skill in three impressive performances. This set the stage for the biggest match of her career against Sabalenka. Despite the high stakes, she showed no signs of nerves, breaking the three-time Grand Slam champion to start the match. Sabalenka, on the other hand, struggled with visible frustration, even earning a code violation for audible obscenity.
However, Sabalenka quickly regained her composure, taking six consecutive games to snatch the first set 6-1. She maintained her momentum into the second set, winning her eighth straight game before Kartal managed to break her streak and hold serve for the first time in the match.
Despite a disappointing end, Kartal’s performance at Indian Wells was commendable. Her second-round victory over 16th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia marked the biggest win of her career to date. This achievement will not only boost her ranking but also her bank balance, with a fourth-round appearance netting her a cool £80k ($103k).
Kartal plans to reinvest her winnings into her tennis career, intending to build a larger support team. In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, she noted, “Wins like today definitely do kind of take that financial pressure off; it means I can go to tournaments with a bigger team that are going to aid my performance.”
Kartal’s performance at Indian Wells has undoubtedly boosted her confidence. Reflecting on her journey, she said, “I’m super proud of my performance, not just that one but the whole week. To be sat here talking about R16, I’m super proud of each performance. I think I’ve kind of gotten a lot better this week.”
