California, Mar 13 (UNI) British lucky loser Sonay Kartal saw her memorable Indian Wells run ended by world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
Kartal, 23, was beaten 6-1 6-2 in just over an hour as Sabalenka ruthlessly moved into the quarter-finals.
The scoreline did not do Kartal's efforts justice, but it did illustrate the quality and power of three-time major champion Sabalenka's ball-striking.
"I was in a lot of the games and I think I had her rattled at a few points," Kartal told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"I'm disappointed to be out of the tournament but I have made huge strides from this time last year,"
she said.
Kartal, who was ranked outside the world's top 250 a year ago, has plenty of positives to take from a remarkable week in the Californian desert - where she did not expect to be competing in the main draw.
The British number three lost in qualifying and had to find new accommodation at the event at short notice after being given a late reprieve.
Having been put into the main draw after Sloane Stephens' withdrawal through injury, Kartal made the most of her opportunity.
Three consecutive wins - against American veteran Varvara Lepchenko, Brazilian 16th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia and higher-ranked Russian Polina Kudermetova - moved her into the last 16 of a WTA 1,000 event for the first time.
The Englishwoman is set to move up to 63rd in the world rankings next week - a new career high and just three places below her former childhood rival Emma Raducanu.
It is another notable landmark for a player who has enjoyed one of the sharpest rises on the WTA Tour in the past year.
In October, Kartal won a maiden tour title in Monastir and cracked the world's top 100 for the first time.
At the start of 2024, Kartal feared she would not play again that season because of a health scare that left her "in and out of hospital".
But she returned to action within three months and has gone from strength to strength after saying the experience changed her outlook.
Three-time major singles champion Sabalenka will face Russia's Liudmila Samsonova for a place in the last four.
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