Briton Kartal Reaches Abu Dhabi Open Quarter-finals

Great Britain's Sonay Kartal has advanced to the quarter-finals of the Abu Dhabi Open. She secured her place by defeating lucky loser Renata Zarazua with a score of 6-0, 6-3. The match lasted only 57 minutes. Kartal's progression was aided by the withdrawal of the defending champion, Belinda Bencic, who pulled out of the tournament due to illness.

Bencic, ranked world number nine, had previously won the Abu Dhabi Open title last year, becoming the first mother to achieve a WTA singles title win since May 2023, just four months after returning from maternity leave. Kartal, the British number two and world number 61, will now face 20-year-old Sara Bejlek of the Czech Republic in the next round.

In parallel action, another British player, Katie Boulter, also reached the quarter-finals at the Ostrava Open. Boulter achieved a straight-sets victory over the Swiss fifth seed, Viktorija Golubic, dropping only two games in each set. She is set to play against either Rebecca Sramkova or Linda Fruhvirtova. This marks the first time Boulter has won consecutive main draw singles matches since June.