Britain’s Sonay Kartal advanced to the quarter-finals of the Abu Dhabi Open by defeating fortunate entrant Renata Zarazua, following the illness-induced withdrawal of her initial adversary, the reigning champion Belinda Bencic.
Ranked ninth globally, Bencic achieved the distinction of being the inaugural mother to secure a WTA singles championship since May 2023, having triumphed over Ashlyn Krueger in the previous year’s final, merely four months post her return from maternity absence.
Kartal, having successfully navigated two preliminary rounds before overcoming Spain’s Cristina Busca in the opening stage, spent only 57 minutes on the court during her victory against Mexico’s Zarazua, with a scoreline of 6-0, 6-3.
The player ranked second in Britain and 61st internationally is scheduled to compete against 20-year-old Czech player Sara Bejlek in the upcoming quarter-final match.
Another British competitor, Katie Boulter, secured a spot in the Ostrava Open’s quarter-finals by achieving a straight-sets win against the Swiss fifth-seeded player, Viktorija Golubic.
Boulter, aged 29, conceded merely two games per set, thereby arranging an encounter with either the fourth seed, Rebecca Sramkova, or Linda Fruhvirtova.
This marks her inaugural instance of triumphing in consecutive main-draw singles matches since the Nottingham Open event took place in June.
