British tennis player Sonay Kartal may be cruising through her French Open debut, but her post-match plans have taken a temporary backseat to her doubles responsibilities.
Following a commanding 6-0, 6-2 victory over Russia’s Erika Andreeva in the first round of the women’s singles, Kartal revealed she had to reschedule a personal engagement — a tattoo appointment — due to her upcoming doubles fixture.
Kartal, currently the British number three, is set to partner fellow Briton Jodie Burrage in their opening women’s doubles match on Wednesday at 11:00 local time (10:00 BST). That just so happened to clash with a long-booked slot at the tattoo studio.
“I actually had one booked tomorrow at 11,” Kartal told reporters with a grin. “But I’m on [court] at 11. My sister just texted me and she’s changed it to later. Yeah, I’ll be getting one tomorrow.”
Known for her love of body art, the 23-year-old already has 13 tattoos — and she’s eager to move past the superstitious number.
“I’ve been stuck on that one,” Kartal said. “I’m happy to take it to 14.”
The latest piece of ink will be a matching tattoo with her sister, although Kartal admitted she’s letting her sibling take the lead on the design. “I’m not actually sure what I’m going to get. I think she wants matching, so I’ll get whatever she wants,” she added.
Kartal’s victory over Andreeva saw her win the first eight games of the match before her opponent got on the scoreboard. The Russian, older sister of sixth seed Mirra Andreeva, managed to avoid a ‘double bagel’ but couldn’t slow Kartal’s momentum. The Brit sealed the win in style, breaking at 5-2 in the second set and reeling off four consecutive winners to close out the match.
Looking ahead, Kartal will face Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova in the second round.
And while tennis remains her focus for now, Kartal has hinted at more tattoo plans — possibly inspired by her Roland Garros experience — once her tournament run concludes.
“Maybe once I’m finished here, I’ll get something that resembles the French Open,” she said.
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