The match started off kind of rough for Sonay Kartal. Honestly, it looked like she was having a hard time finding her rhythm. Marie Bouzkova came out looking sharp—she was moving well, returning with confidence, and just really putting the pressure on. Kartal didn’t quite match that energy in the beginning. Her shots were going a little off, and you could tell she wasn’t quite settled into the match yet. Bouzkova ended up taking that first set pretty smoothly.
But still, even though Kartal lost that set, it didn’t seem like she was mentally out of it. You could just feel that she wasn’t done yet.
The Second Set Felt Different
The second set was honestly a whole different vibe. Kartal came out looking more focused and maybe just more fired up. Somewhere in the middle of that set, she broke Bouzkova’s serve, and that really shifted the momentum. You could see her energy shift—her movement got sharper, and her shots started landing better.
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She broke Bouzkova’s serve once, which made a big difference
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Started taking more control of the rallies
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Was more consistent with her groundstrokes
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Less unforced errors compared to the first set
It felt like she figured something out mid-match. Bouzkova didn’t completely fall apart or anything, but Kartal just started playing smarter and didn’t let go of the lead once she had it. That break made all the difference in the set.
What This Means for Kartal
This kind of match shows how much Kartal is growing. Sure, she lost that first set, but instead of letting it get to her, she just stayed in it. That kind of mental toughness isn’t easy, especially against someone like Bouzkova, who’s been around the tour and knows how to close out matches.
You can see Kartal is learning to hang in there even when things aren’t going her way. Matches like these can really help build her confidence. We don’t know yet how the final set will go, but either way, she showed she’s not going down without a fight.
Honestly, if she can keep up that level of play from the second set and stay aggressive without rushing, she’s got a real shot. Bouzkova’s a solid player, though, so it could still go either way. But this was a good look for Kartal—gritty, focused, and way more locked in after a shaky start.
