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Ros Satar
Sonay Kartal in the 2019 Wimbledon Girls' competition
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 06: Sonay Kartal of Great Britain plays a backhand in her Girls' Singles first round match against Annerly Poulos of Australia during Day six of The Championships - Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 06, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Tennis | WTA Indian Wells 2025 | Sonay Kartal’s dream run pits her up against Aryna Sabalenka in the round of 16

Ros Satar
Tennis

By Ros Satar

  • Sonay Kartal [LL] v Aryna Sabalenka [1]
  • H2H: First Meeting
INDIAN WELLS, USA – Sonay Kartal is headed for a career whatever happens with her match up against the top seed, Aryna Sabalenka.

 

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Sonay Kartal [LL] v Aryna Sabalenka [1] | H2H & Match Fundamentals

Sonay Kartal [LL] v Aryna Sabalenka [1] H2H: First Meeting
WTA Indian Wells USA
Hard (O) Prize Money: $103,525
Third on Stadium 2, not before 3pm (10pm GMT) Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required

 

Talk about making the most of a Lucky Loser second chance. Sonay Kartal has yet to drop a set in the main draw and could break into the Top 70 when this tournament is over. Aryna Sabalenka will want to recapture her form from the start of the year. Since winning the Brisbane title and finishing runner-up in the Australian Open, she struggled in the Middle East, and Indian Wells saw her first back-to-back wins since the start of the year.

 

Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (Hard – 2025)

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H2H: Sonay Kartal (WR 83) Aryna Sabalenka (WR 1)
Tournament Previous Best Debut Final (2023)
1st Serve Return Points Won % 40.6 38.7
Return Points Won % 45.7 46.5
Break Point Conversion % 50.0 48.1
Break Points Saved % 58.8 61.2
Overall Service Points Won % 59.9 60.7

 

Despite the gulf in rankings, there is not much between them in this year’s stats.

 

 

Playing Styles & Prediction

Although Kartal comes in very much the underdog, despite a cracking run here, the pressure will be all on Sabalenka’s shoulders as the player who should win comfortably. The World No. 1 will expect to try and overpower Kartal, who potentially lacks the big weapons to go toe-to-toe with Sabalenka.

What she does have in her favour is being a relative unknown, tactic wise, and if she can get Sabalenka on the run, she can give the top seed a little pause for thought.

Prediction: Sabalenka in straight sets.

 

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