British tennis star reveals how she was left homeless mid-tournament as she outshines Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter
- Sonay Kartal, 23, checked out of her apartment after losing her final qualifier
- She was forced to find accommodation after being entered into the main draw
- The Brit has already surpassed Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu at Indian Wells
British tennis player Sonay Kartal has revealed how she was forced to search frantically for accommodation after checking out of her apartment in California before qualifying for Indian Wells.
The 23-year-old Brit was set to return home after suffering defeat in the final round of qualifying last Tuesday — but earned a sensational reprieve after being entered into the main draw following Slone Stephens' shock withdrawal through injury.
However, having already checked out of her apartment, Kartal was left with nowhere to stay and was forced to hunt down new accommodation in what emerged a chaotic 12 hours.
'I booked an apartment to see me through qualifying so I had to find somewhere else to stay last minute,' she explained on Tuesday.
'I was homeless for about 12 hours. But it was a good problem to have.'
Despite the challenging distraction, Kartal carved out a stunning run of form in California, which saw her surpass Varvara Lepchenko, Beatriz Haddad Maia and Polina Kudermetova in straight sets to reach the round of 16.
British tennis star Sonay Kartal has revealed how she was forced to search frantically for accommodation after checking out of her apartment before qualifying for Indian Wells
She will face world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the tournament's round of 16 stage on Wednesday
Kartal has surpassed Katie Boulter (left) and Emma Raducanu (right), who are already out
Her reward for the three-match win streak is a huge round of 16 match against world No 1 and three-time Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka, who has yet to drop a set in the tournament.
Kartal has already outshone British No 1 Katie Boulter and No 2 Emma Raducanu, with both suffering disappointing Indian Wells exits at the round of 32 and first round stages respectively.
Raducanu, who appointed the seventh coach of her career ahead of the tournament, was thrashed by 6-3 6-2 by Moyuka Uchijima last Thursday, while Boulter was beaten by Elena Rybakina 6-0 7-5 on Sunday.
After defeating Kudermetova on Monday, Kartal said: 'It wasn't as comfortable as it maybe looked.
'My goal was to hold my serve and make her play every ball and keep the scoreboard pressure high. I kept my cool and upped my level when it mattered the most.'
