British tennis star who shone at Wimbledon wins first WTA title of her career

British number four, Sonay Kartal, has celebrated a landmark week by securing her first WTA Tour title at the Jasmin Open in Tunisia on Sunday. The 22-year-old from Brighton triumphed over Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova with a score of 6-3 7-5, a victory that will propel her into the top 100 in next week’s world rankings.

Despite coming through qualifying and losing just one set throughout the tournament, Kartal seized her second chance to serve out for the title when her opponent sent a forehand wide. This season has already been the best of her young career, having reached the third round of Wimbledon as a qualifier, where she was defeated by Coco Gauff on Court One.

Kartal claimed the first set effortlessly and seemed poised to clinch the title after establishing a 4-1 lead in the second set against an opponent also experiencing her first tour final. However, Sramkova rallied back to level at 4-4, before a series of service breaks ended with Kartal edging into a 6-5 lead from which she went on to secure her win.

“Right now it’s unbelievable,” Kartal expressed. “I tried so much to put the occasion and the score behind me and try to treat it just like any other match.”

She added: “It’s been such a good week, I’ve played some of my best tennis and it feels like in every match I’ve got better.”

With this victory, Kartal joins a select group of British winners on the WTA tour. Having already surpassed her own expectations for 2024, she is eagerly anticipating what next year will bring.

“I started the year with the goal of being in the top 150 and now I’m passed that,” she revealed. “I’m trying to end the year in the top 100 and put myself in the best position for Australia.”