Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal advanced to the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open after original opponent and defending champion Belinda Bencic withdrew due to illness. Kartal faced lucky loser Renata Zarazua on court and secured a 6-0, 6-3 victory in just 57 minutes.
Bencic, world number nine, made history last year as the first mother to win a WTA singles title since May 2023, capturing the Abu Dhabi crown just four months after returning from maternity leave by defeating Ashlyn Krueger in the final. Kartal, who came through two qualifying rounds and a first-round victory over Spain’s Cristina Busca, now meets 20-year-old Czech Sara Bejlek in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, fellow Briton Katie Boulter reached the quarterfinals at the Ostrava Open with a straight-sets win over Swiss fifth seed Viktorija Golubic. Boulter, 29, dropped only two games in each set, setting up a matchup with either fourth seed Rebecca Sramkova or Linda Fruhvirtova.
This marks Boulter’s first time winning consecutive main-draw singles matches since the Nottingham Open in June, highlighting a return to form for the experienced British player.
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