Sonay Kartal stormed into the last 16 in Indian Wells as a lucky loser (Image: Getty)
It’s been a dream fortnight for the Brits in Indian Wells. and Olivia Nicholls reached their first Masters 1000 finals in the men’s singles and women’s doubles draws respectively. But another name produced one of the biggest stories of the tournament.
Sonay Kartal and went on an incredible run, reaching the last 16 before losing to world No. 1 . She picked up 120 ranking points and for her efforts. Now set to reach a new career high, Kartal has explained how she will spend her winnings.
Kartal enjoyed a fairytale debut in Indian Wells. Despite losing in the final round of qualifying, she was drafted in as a lucky loser to compete in the main draw of a WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career.
The British No. 3 made the most of her sudden opportunity, beating Varvara Lepchenko in the first round before earning her biggest-ever win against 16th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in round two.
Kartal ousted Polina Kudermetova to reach the last 16, where she to three-time Major winner Sabalenka. It was a tough loss for the 23-year-old, but she still has plenty to take from her time in Indian Wells, including a huge prize money cheque.
By making it to the fourth round, Kartal will take home £80k. And she’s already planning to reinvest that money straight back into her career by bolstering her travelling team.
Sonay Kartal’s run was ended by world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (Image: Getty)
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Kartal’s circle previously included her bodybuilder ex-boyfriend Luke Ogbourne, but the pair have now split up, and the current world No. 83 – who is set to rise to No. 63 on Monday – is keen to enlist a physiotherapist to join her at tournaments.
“With the prize money and stuff, I’m able to invest that back in myself and create a bigger team, one that’s able to travel on the road with me consistently,” Kartal told the .
“That’s going to help me massively, being able to source a physio that comes with me consistently to tournaments. I think that’s going to be a huge advantage that I’m going to have now.”
Kartal faced some physical issues and setbacks earlier in her career. Last year, she was also hospitalised with an undisclosed health issue and didn’t know whether she’d be able to compete for the rest of the season.
But she made a triumphant return and enjoyed a strong second half of the year, reaching the third round of as a qualifier before picking up her maiden WTA Tour title in Tunisia a few months later.
Now set to enter the world’s top 65, Kartal will be able to enter the Grand Slams and bigger WTA 1000 events off her own ranking, and she’s got her sights set on another milestone.
“A goal for me by the end of the year is definitely to be top 50, I’d like to be pretty clear inside that,” Kartal added.
The Brit has just nine ranking points to defend before the end of April and, if she can keep winning, she could soon reach her goal. For now, it’s back to the qualifying draw for Kartal, who faces fellow British player Jodie Burrage in the preliminary rounds at the Miami Open.