‘Fighter’ Kartal stuns Keys in Indian Wells comeback

Britain’s Sonay Kartal showed her “fighter” spirit as she battled back to stun former Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the third round at Indian Wells.

American Keys, who won her first major at Melbourne Park in 2025, dominated the first set but Kartal rallied to complete a 2-6 6-2 6-3 turnaround in just under two hours.

The British number two revealed she was still struggling with the back injury that had forced her to call a medical time out during her second-round match against Emma Navarro on Sunday, when she saved a match point en route to victory.

“At times in this match I was in discomfort with my back, so it’s a match like today which shows the fighter in me,” Kartal told BBC Sport after her win over Keys.

“On these courts I do feel I can beat anyone on any given day.”

Kartal’s run to the fourth round at Indian Wells last year, her debut at a WTA 1,000 tournament, helped kick-start a breakthrough season for the 24-year-old, who reached a career-high ranking of 44 in 2025.

Kartal said she will prioritise recovery for her back before she meets Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, the reigning Australian Open champion, in the last 16.

“It [the back] was a pretty big hindrance,” Kartal added.

“I didn’t really practise yesterday so I gave it as much recovery as I could, so I think now it’s about getting recovered and doing the same exact thing to get back on the court in the next couple of days.”

Kartal was not the only player to cause an upset on Monday with a comeback win.

Czech Katerina Siniakova, the world number 44, knocked out defending champion and Russian eighth seed Mirra Andreeva in a gruelling 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 win that lasted two hours and 48 minutes.

Meanwhile, third seed Rybakina claimed her fourth-round spot with a hard-fought 6-4 6-4 victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.