Kartal beats Andreeva to face Noskova in China Open quarterfinals

Sonay Kartal produced the biggest victory of her career on Wednesday, beating world number five Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals of the China Open in Beijing. The 23-year-old Briton completed the upset after two hours and 25 minutes on Court 1 and will face 26th seed Linda Noskova for a place in the semifinals.

Kartal, who began the week unseeded, claimed her first win against a top-10 opponent and advanced to the last eight at a WTA 1000 event for the first time. She converted her second match point when Andreeva fired a forehand wide at 7-5 in the decider, having been denied on an earlier opportunity in a tense finish. Kartal also saved a break point at 5-5 in the final set before breaking to take the victory.

Andreeva, 18 and seeded fourth in Beijing, fought back strongly after dropping the opening set, running away with the second set 6-2. The Russian applied pressure throughout the match, but was unable to sustain the momentum in the deciding set. The result ends Andreeva’s run in the China Open at the round of 16.

Kartal credited her opponent’s quality while underlining the importance of staying composed. "She is a top-10 player for a very good...