Kartal saves match point in Indian Wells victory
· Yahoo Sports
Britain's Sonay Kartal saved a match point and also needed a medical time out as she battled to a 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-2) victory in her second-round match against Emma Navarro at Indian Wells.
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Kartal comfortably took the opening set but lost the second, having taken a medical timeout after "a bit of a twitch" in her back.
In a tight third, American Navarro - a former top 10 player - twice served for victory before 24-year-old Kartal came through in the tie-break.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Kartal said she was "super proud" to have fought her way through to round three, where she will play American Madison Keys.
"[I had] little niggles here and there," she said. "I think I just landed a bit funny on serve and had a bit of a twitch in my back.
"That made me lose a lot of power, I was struggling to generate anything off my shots. I had to dig deep."
Kartal, who beat Lanlana Tararudee in straight sets in the first round, said she will "do everything" to face Keys in the last 32.
"I think I'm pretty calm and cool under pressure so I'm pretty good at blocking out the score and just concentrating on each point," she told BBC Sport after the win against Navarro.
"When you enjoy the environment and you enjoy the court, it shows in your tennis and I'm loving every day being here."
On the medical timeout for a back injury, Kartal added: "I'm not one to call the trainer at all, actually, so I felt like I needed it in at that moment.
"I'll wait a few hours and see what the come down is but I'll rest up and do everything I can to be ready for the next match."
Defending women's champion Mirra Andreeva started her Indian Wells campaign with a 6-0 6-0 thrashing of Solana Sierra.
"The conditions were pretty tricky," said 18-year-old Andreeva. "The wind was changing directions every time. So I'm pretty happy with how I adjusted my game to these conditions."
Iga Swiatek, the 2022 and 2024 Indian Wells winner, and 2023 champion Elena Rybakina, who claimed the Australian Open title earlier this year, also progressed.
Poland's Swiatek beat qualifier Kayla Day 6-0 7-6 (7-2), while Rybakina needed three sets to defeat Hailey Baptiste 7-6 (7-5) 2-6 6-2.
"It was a really tough match today, but I'm super-happy with the win," Rybakina said. "She played really well.
"She was staying aggressive. She has a good serve. I had my opportunities, didn't get them from the beginning and then I was struggling in the second set, was rushing a bit."