History of Sonay Kartal in Timeline

Sonay Kartal is a British professional tennis player. Her highest singles ranking is world No. 44 (July 2025), and her highest doubles ranking is world No. 171 (January 2026). She has won one WTA Tour title and 14 ITF singles titles. Kartal is currently the British No. 2 singles player.

Sections (2)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements

1997: Karen Cross reached the third round at Wimbledon as a qualifier

In June 2024, Sonay Kartal became the first British woman since Karen Cross in 1997 to reach the third round at Wimbledon as a qualifier.

October 2001: Sonay Kartal's birth

Sonay Kartal was born on 28 October 2001. She is a British professional tennis player.

Others born on this day/year

November 2021: Won first ITF title

In November 2021, Kartal won her first ITF title at the Antalya 15k event, defeating Amarissa Toth in the final.

2021: Won the UK Pro League

In 2021, Kartal won the women's title at the UK Pro League, defeating Freya Christie in the final. She ended the year ranked 993.

2021: Ended the year ranked as world No. 198

In October of 2022, Kartal posted a quarterfinal result at the W60 indoor event in Trnava. These performances allowed Kartal to make her top-200 debut and she ended the year ranked as world No. 198, almost 800 places above her 2021 year-end ranking.

April 2022: Part of BJK Cup team

In April 2022, Kartal was part of the BJK Cup team for the qualifying tie in Prague when Great Britain faced the Czech team; however, she was not selected to play any matches.

May 2022: Won two consecutive singles titles in Nottingham

In May 2022, Sonay Kartal won two consecutive singles titles in the third and fourth weeks of the 25k Nottingham events, defeating Danielle Lao and Joanna Garland in the finals.

2022: WTA Tour debut and Ilkley Trophy semifinal

During the 2022 grass-court season, Kartal made her WTA Tour debut as a wildcard entrant at the Nottingham Open, where she lost in the first round to Camila Giorgi. At the Ilkley Trophy, she reached her first semifinal at 100k level, losing to Jodie Burrage.

2022: Won third title at the 25k Birmingham event

Early in the 2022 season, Kartal won her third title at the 25k Birmingham event, defeating Talia Neilson Gatenby. She also won a second consecutive 25k title in Glasgow, beating Barbora Palicová.

2023: Australian Open qualifying and Sunderland W60 event

At the 2023 Australian Open, Kartal lost in the first qualifying round. As a wildcard player, Kartal entered the W60 event in Sunderland, England, falling in the quarterfinals.

June 2024: Qualified for Wimbledon Championships

In June 2024, ranked No. 295, Sonay Kartal qualified for the first time at the Wimbledon Championships, earning a spot in the main draw. She became the second British woman in the Open Era to reach the third round at this Major as a qualifier. She lost her third round match to Coco Gauff.

August 2024: Won back-to-back W35 GB Pro Series titles

In August 2024, Kartal won back-to-back W35 GB Pro Series titles on hardcourts in Roehampton, England, marking her fourth and fifth titles at that level in the season.

October 2024: Won sixth ITF title of the year

In October 2024, Kartal won her sixth ITF title of the year at the W100 in Shrewsbury, defeating Heather Watson in the final.

2024: Reached First WTA Tour Quarterfinal and Final

In September 2024, Kartal reached the first WTA Tour quarterfinal and final in her career at the Jasmin Open in Monastir, ultimately winning the final and breaking into the top 100, rising to a new career-high of world No. 96 in the WTA singles rankings.

March 2025: WTA 1000 debut and top-20 win

In March 2025, Kartal entered the main draw at Indian Wells as a lucky loser, making her WTA 1000 debut, and defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia to register her maiden win against a top-20 ranked player. She reached the fourth round, moving up to a new career-high of 63 on 17 March 2025.

June 2025: Top 50 debut

In June 2025, following Roland Garros, Kartal made her top 50 debut.

July 2025: Reached fourth round at Wimbledon

At Wimbledon in July 2025, Sonay Kartal reached the fourth round at a major for the first time, losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 44 on 14 July 2025.

July 2025: Achieved World No. 44 in singles

On 14 July 2025, Sonay Kartal achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 44 in singles.

2025: Billie Jean King Cup debut

In 2025, Kartal made her debut for the Great Britain Billie Jean King Cup team against Germany in The Hague, recording a win in the opening singles match. Great Britain secured a place at the finals.