News - Sonay Kartal Faces Shock Exit at Australian Open

Sonay Kartal faced a shocking early exit at the Australian Open, attributing her defeat to what she termed as her poorest performance in years. Ranked as the British No. 2 and 66th globally, Kartal managed to seize an initial advantage against the 31st seed Anna Kalinskaya but eventually succumbed 7-6 (3), 6-1. Kartal’s last performance in Auckland against Elina Svitolina had provided reasons to be optimistic about her current form, which made her present loss profoundly frustrating. Early on, Kartal showed dominance but lacked the consistency needed to sustain the pressure on Kalinskaya, relying heavily on unforced errors from her Russian opponent. The turning point in the match arrived with a notably weak tie-break for Kartal, followed by her opponent's seamless 5-0 lead in the second set. Reflecting on the match, Kartal expressed her dissatisfaction, "I’m incredibly disappointed. It was not just about losing; it was about the manner in which I played, which is what bothers me the most. Even my usual baseline game fell short today." Despite the setback, Kartal remains assertive about her upcoming challenges, expressing a desire to learn from the experience. "If given another chance, I would approach the match quite differently," she noted, acknowledging the need for adaptability in her gameplay. While the Australian Open marks a setback, Kartal remains hopeful, highlighting the vast expanse of the season still ahead and her prior robust training as reasons to maintain a positive outlook. "I'm determined not to let this result linger too long. It's an extensive season, and I am aiming for consistent improvements as I move forward," she reiterated, putting the disappointing result into perspective.