Kartal endures cramps in 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 loss to Haddad Maia
Kostyuk beats Boulter 6-4, 6-4, Swiatek and Sinner win
Sonay Kartal vowed to come back stronger following her 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 loss to the 18th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the first round of the US Open after suffering from excruciating full-body cramps in warm conditions on Tuesday afternoon in New York.
For much of her main draw debut at the US Open, Kartal battled admirably, showing her problem-solving abilities by recovering from a tough opening set to force a decider. However, towards the end of the second set, Kartal began to struggle physically and by early in the final set was cramping all over her body. The match took another chaotic turn deep in the final set as Haddad Maia also began to struggle, culminating in the Brazilian patting serves into the court and throwing in an underarm serve in a dramatic final game.
“It’s frustrating,” said Kartal. “You can see her at the other end and she had a calf thing or a hamstring or something went. So it made it even tougher. But I think at that point you’re just in so much pain, you go into the dark places to try and get through. I wasn’t thinking about her or anything. I was just thinking: ‘I’m going to finish the match. I’m not going to call it quits.’”
