Britain’s Sonay Kartal reached her first WTA Tour final after Eva Lys retired through illness in Saturday’s Jasmin Open semi-final.
Kartal came through qualifying in Monastir and has enjoyed a career-best week, which could culminate in her maiden main tour title when she takes on Rebecca Sramkova in the final on Sunday.
Kartal, a former junior rival of Emma Raducanu, was only on court for 24 minutes before German Lys called it a day trailing 5-1.
The 22-year-old from Brighton will now aim to join Katie Boulter as a British WTA Tour winner this season, while victory would see Kartal break into the top 100 for the first time.
“Obviously no-one wants to win a match like that,” said Kartal. “She’s a super nice girl, which makes it even tougher. Obviously I’m happy to be in the final but it’s definitely not the way I would have liked to have won today.”
It will also be a first WTA Tour final for Slovakian Sramkova, and Kartal added: “I’m sure we’re both going to be feeling a bit heavy, we’re both going to be a bit nervous, but ultimately it will be who can put on the best performance on the big stage.”
It has been a standout summer for Kartal, who reached the third round of Wimbledon as a qualifier before winning two lower-tier tournaments in the UK and making the final round of qualifying at the US Open.
What else is coming up on Sky Sports Tennis in September?
- Jasmin Open, Tunisia – WTA 250 (9-15 September)
- Guadalajara Open, Mexico – WTA 500 (9-15 September)
- Korea Open – WTA 500 (16 -22 September – with Emma Raducanu in action)
- Thailand Open – WTA 250 (16 -22 September)
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