British tennis player Sonay Kartal found herself unexpectedly without accommodation during the Indian Wells tournament. Kartal, 23, had checked out of her California apartment, believing her participation was over after being eliminated in the qualifying rounds.
However, a last-minute withdrawal of Sloane Stephens opened a spot for her in the main draw.
This sudden change left Kartal in a housing predicament.
She explained: “I booked an apartment for the qualifying period, so I had to urgently find a new place to stay.”
“I was homeless for about 12 hours, but it’s a good problem to have.”
Despite the accommodation issue, Kartal is having a remarkable run at Indian Wells.
She secured a place in the round of 16 and is scheduled to compete against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday.
In previous rounds, Kartal defeated Varvara Lepchenko and Beatriz Haddad Maia, and then won against Polina Kudermetova to reach the fourth round.
Reflecting on her recent match, she commented, “It wasn’t as easy as it might have seemed.”
“My strategy was to maintain my serve, force my opponent to play every point, and apply scoreboard pressure. I stayed composed and elevated my game when necessary.”
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