Who is Sonay Kartal? Emma Raducanu’s former rival set for rankings breakthrough
Sonay Kartal’s stunning rise up the tennis rankings will reach new heights after she made it through to the third round for the first time at a WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells.
Britain’s Kartal’s 6-2, 6-1 win over world No 17 Beatriz Haddad Maia secured her the best rankings win of her career and should ensure she breaks into the top 70 of the WTA Rankings when they are updated after Indian Wells.
She is only playing in this tournament as a lucky loser after missing out in qualifying and then being offered a late chance to play due to the withdrawal of other players.
And her clinical win against the experienced Haddad Maia confirmed Kartal is playing a much higher level than her ranking suggests with these performances at Indian Wells a huge boost for a player who enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2024.
Kartal had to deal with a serious health issue at the start of last year, but she confirmed he battling qualities by winning a host of events on the ITF’s World Tennis Tour before enjoying a breakthrough run to the third round at Wimbledon.
She made a break into the top 100 of the WTA Rankings and have built on those foundations this year, with this Indian Wells run another career highlight.
Supported by the LTA’s The Pro Scholarship Programme, the elite programme for the game’s top young players in Britain, she is backed the governing body of British tennis financially and in a variety of other areas, with her rise up the rankings justifying the backing she has received.
Short in stature, Kartal makes up for the physical disadvantage she often faces against her opponents with a drive and passion.
She is not a player who likes to show her emotions and that was in evidence once again as she had a somewhat subdued reaction to her win against Haddad Maia.
Kartal grew up playing in junior events with Emma Raducanu and when she spoke to Tennis365 last year, she looked back on her early matches against the player who went on to win the 2021 US Open title.
“I grew up playing Emma, so it proves to me that the dream of making it in tennis is not too far away,” Kartal told us.
“It has put into perspective for all the British players just how possible it could be to break through.
“Emma’s success is just crazy. The fact that she hadn’t even won a single match in a WTA event and then went out and won the US Open… it was just crazy.
“I sent her a text to say well done after the win in New York and there is no jealousy from my end. Just a realisation that we can all do it if we push hard and take our chances.”
More WTA Tour News
Emma Raducanu faces ‘difficult’ reality as she attempts to deal with fame
The 5 women to win a WTA final 6-0, 6-0 since 2000: Emma Navarro matches Iga Swiatek
Kartal may have got fed up answering questions about her junior matches against Raducanu, but she accepts the questions are inevitable.
“I remembered the match when we were nine and the point that was replayed so many times so well. Luckily I hit the winning shot at the end of it,” she added.
“The interest in those videos went around the world and I was in Turkey two weeks ago playing an event and some Italian coaches came up to me as they knew I was the girl on the clips playing Raducanu.
“My story is a little different to Emma’s because I have had some injury problems that have hampered me, but we can all take inspiration from her success.”
READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu could ‘walk away from tennis’ like another British starlet
