"Every player wants to test their game against the best in the world" - British star Sonay Kartal set to face Aryna Sabalenka at Indian Wells

British lucky loser Sonay Kartal has already exceeded her expectations after advancing to the round of 16 at the 2025 Indian Wells tournament, although she will face the biggest test of her career when she takes on World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka.

The London native lost in the third round of qualifying at Tennis Paradise, but gained entrance to the main draw as a lucky loser. Kartal has been on a tear since, powering past all her opponents to reach the fourth round without dropping a set.

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Playing experienced players improved her gamestyle, says Kartal

The 23-year old is no stranger to facing top-ranked players. Kartal took on World No.3 Coco Gauff at last year's Wimbledon Championships, falling in a memorable third round encounter. She has believes this loss to Gauff help change her fortune, giving her the mindset needed to take on higher-ranked players.

"It was a good match for me to win," said Kartal following her second round upset of 16th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia on Saturday. "I lost to Coco at Wimbledon and learned a lot from that match. I learned that I don’t have to kind of overplay and overcomplicate things on the court. I know that coming out of that match, my baseline tennis was pretty much there.
"So I definitely used what I learned in that match against Beatriz and didn’t overplay. Just played a very solid match. And I’d say that one is probably the biggest match I won. I think it gives you confidence when you play against those higher ranked players.”

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Awaiting Kartal in the fourth round is Sabalenka, who has been in devastating form in the desert. Nonetheless, Kartal seems undaunted and ready to take on the most difficult challenge of her career.

"Obviously, every player wants to test their games against the best in the world," said the World No.83. "And I think that after having the match against Coco and the match against Beatriz, it’s definitely going to help a lot more for me. It’s a match that I’m going to be excited about. Whatever the result, it’s going to be a match that I’m going to learn a lot from."

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