Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal reached the quarter-finals of the Abu Dhabi Open after beating lucky loser Renata Zarazua, following the withdrawal of her original opponent and defending champion Belinda Bencic, who pulled out due to illness.
Kartal needed just 57 minutes to win 6-0 6-3 against Zarazua. The British number two had already come through qualifying and a first-round win over Cristina Busca to reach this stage.
Bencic, ranked world number nine, had been the defending champion and made history last year as the first mother since 2023 to win a WTA singles title after returning from maternity leave.
Kartal, currently world number 61, will now face 20-year-old Czech Sara Bejlek in the last eight.
Elsewhere, fellow Briton Katie Boulter also reached the quarter-finals, beating Viktorija Golubic in straight sets at the Ostrava Open. Boulter will play either Rebecca Sramkova or Linda Fruhvirtova next.
It is the first time since June that Boulter has won back-to-back matches in a main draw.
