A first WTA title, breaking the top 100 & beyond – exclusive interview with Sonay Kartal
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A maiden WTA title, career-high rankings and sensational Grand Slam runs – these are just a handful in a list of milestones Sonay Kartal has ticked off throughout her standout season.
However, amongst the highs, the 22-year-old has had to overcome some testing challenges earlier on this year to get to where she is today – recently making her debut inside the WTA top 100.
The young Brit began her season with question marks over whether she’d be able to step onto court again this season.The end of last season saw Kartal’s season come to an end in October after she picked up an injury that kept her on the sidelines until January. Although she bounced back to claim her ninth ITF title in Loughborough, concern around her health began to rise, once again keeping her from competing until April, where she made her comeback in Calvi.
Now, just eight months later, Kartal has gone on to achieve things she’d dreamt of since a young girl, including a sensational run to her first WTA title at the Jasmin Open just a couple of weeks ago.
“The week in Tunisia was special,” Kartal said, reflecting on the week. “I reached three career goals of mine in that one week – winning a WTA tour title, hitting top 150 and going one more than that in breaking top 100, which I think is a big milestone for any player.
“Since finishing that week, I’ve really felt like I’ve made my mark a little bit. I had great wins and felt like I’ve proven to myself and others looking in that I am capable of this level and more - I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface, and I’ve still got so many areas of my game to improve massively.”
Prior to her milestone moment at the WTA 250 event in Tunisia, Kartal had been sweeping up the titles at on the ITF tour where she hauled five trophies between January and August. Four of those came on home soil at the W35 events in Loughborough, Nottingham and Roehampton – as part of the LTA Performance Competitions Calendar – and provided her with the foundations to flourish on the WTA circuit in later weeks.
“The transition from ITF to WTA matches is tough. I definitely took a lot of first round losses when I was making that transition. It’s where you find your weaknesses and get exposed when you are playing the higher level matches but I think it’s also where you find your game, what works well, and what you need to work on.
“The biggest thing I noticed was that mentally, you can’t switch off. Every point you need to be present and it can be a matter of points where you dip in focus that you can lose the match.”
Also sitting atop some of the brightest moments of her season so far was the British grass court season, which saw Kartal enjoy a career-best Grand Slam run at The Championships, Wimbledon.
After battling through three rounds of qualifying, the Brighton-native maintained momentum to earn her first main draw win at a major tournament when she knocked out then world No.31 Sorana Cirstea before losing out in the third round to 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff.
The fortnight in SW19 proved to be valuable experience for Kartal, who translated her form to the hard courts and spurred her on to a confident US Open qualifying campaign and subsequent title in Tunisia.
“Wimbledon was special. Winning my first Grand Slam main draw match and doing it at your home Slam made the moment and experience so much more special.
“It was the first time where everything I was working on and all the things I was trying so hard to change, all came together on the match court and to do it on the biggest stage is something I was super proud of.
“I’d been knocking on the door for quite some time but not managing to pull through in those big matches. Personally, with all the matches I was playing, I felt like my level was there despite having a lot of areas to work on. It was super promising, and it gave me a lot of confidence heading into the US Open and Tunisia.”
Kartal has now returned home and has been continuing to put in the hard work on the practice court at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.
The world No.101 is now gearing up for her first appearance at the Lexus W100 Shrewsbury event since 2022. The Shrewsbury tennis tournament is the UK’s biggest women’s tennis event outside the grass court season and brings in some of the world’s best home and international talent every year.
“Shrewsbury for me is the tournament that sticks in my head quite a lot,” Kartal added. “I’ve played a lot of tournaments and it’s one that I definitely remember playing from 2022. It’s the tournament where I really kick-started into the professional scene so for me, I have pretty vivid memories from when I started on the professional tour.
“The team there run it so well for players and spectators and really make it a big event. They go above and beyond to put on fun things for everyone and I think it’s super exciting for us British players. It’s not often we get to compete on British soil so we’re all looking forward to it.”
“It’s near the end of the season but I’ve still got quite a few tournaments left, which again is super exciting with the position I’ve managed to get myself in now, but I think I can still achieve more things before Australia gets underway.
“If you were to tell me back then (in January) that I’d be where I am now with my body and everything feeling the way it was, I don’t think I’d believe you. I’m super proud of what I’ve managed to achieve this year, and it’s put me in the best possible position that I could want heading into Australia next year.”
Want to see Kartal in action in Shrewsbury? Tickets are still available with prices starting from £7.50 per day and tickets to enjoy both the singles and doubles finals on Sunday 20 October priced at £22.50.
Find out more information and book your tickets below:
