Sonay Kartal’s wonderful run at the China Open came to an end at the quarter-final stage, but four wins in Beijing have boosted her belief that she can reach the world’s top 10.
In brushing past three opponents in straight sets, and then claiming a maiden top-10 scalp in world No 5 Mirra Andreeva, Kartal demonstrated a previously unseen ability to hit winners.
Her serve and forehand both delivered under pressure, while her retrieval shots out of the corners frustrated Andreeva in particular.
Admittedly, Kartal was outgunned by 20-year-old Czech Linda Noskova on Friday. Even so, despite slipping out of the tournament in straight sets, Kartal sounded buoyed by the way she has competed over the past week.
“I feel like it’s the first time I’ve really brought it to a match court, the new style I want to play,” said Kartal after her 6-3, 6-4 defeat. “I’ve proved to myself that if I just add one or two more things into my game, I can take my level to a top-10 level.”
