Sonay Kartal’s dream run in Indian Wells came to an end (Image: Getty)
Sonay Kartal’s incredible run in Indian Wells finally came to an end on Wednesday as she suffered a heavy defeat in the fourth round. The British No. 3 got into the draw as a lucky loser and stormed into the last 16 without dropping a set.
But world No. 1 proved too much for the relatively inexperienced Brit, who had never played a WTA 1000 tournament before this fortnight. Kartal broke in the first game, but things quickly unravelled, and the three-time Major winner earned a straightforward 6-1 6-2 victory.
Kartal enjoyed a dream trip to the Californian desert. After losing in the final round of qualifying, the world No. 83 was given a spot in the main draw as a lucky loser when Sloane Stephens pulled out injured.
Playing with extra freedom, the 23-year-old produced three impressive performances to set up the biggest match of her career against Sabalenka.
Kartal didn’t appear nervous early on, breaking the three-time Grand Slam champion to start the match. Meanwhile, Sabalenka was visibly frustrated and
But the Brit wasn’t in the lead for long – Sabalenka quickly recovered and stormed through the rest of the set, winning six games in a row to take it 6-1.
Aryna Sabalenka produced a statement performance to beat Sonay Kartal (Image: Getty)
Just in
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
The top seed continued her assault, reeling off her eighth straight game to lead 2-0 in the second set before Kartal finally snapped her streak and got on the board again, holding serve for the first time in the match.
The world No. 83 was broken for the fifth time but managed to win one more game before her Indian Wells campaign came to a disappointing end.
It was still an impressive two weeks in the desert for Kartal, who earned the biggest win of her career over 16th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the second round.
The Brit will now rise to a career-high ranking and for her fourth-round appearance. Kartal has already revealed that the money will go straight back into her tennis career, allowing her to travel with a bigger team.
“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. Injuries are something I’ve struggled with,” she told Sky Sports after beating Polina Kudermetova on Monday.
Kartal was pleased with the tennis she showed in her first three matches, and she will gain plenty of confidence from her dream debut in Indian Wells.
“I’m super proud of my performance, not just that one but the whole week. Obviously it was mixed emotions losing in the last round of qualies,” she added.
“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.”