World No. 5 Mirra Andreeva was upset by World No. 81 Sonay Kartal in a thrilling three set China Open Round of 16 match.
SONAY KARTAL UPSETS ANDREEVA! 😱
She wins a thrilling three set encounter against the No. 4 seed to reach the quarterfinal 👏#2025ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/MotmAygMhF
— wta (@WTA) October 1, 2025
The pair did battle for three sets with exceptional shot making by both players.
The difference was that Kartal was more aggressive and took the match from Andreeva. It is the biggest win of her career.
Sonay Kartal Has Come From Nowhere
Though she has been as high as World No. 44, Kartal is not a well-known British player whose compatriots Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu are the household names.
The 23-year-old’s best Grand Slam finish was appropriately in the Round of 16 at her home tournament, Wimbledon.
However, she proved at the China Open that she can also play well on the hardcourts.
Kartal won her maiden WTA title last September at the 2024 Jasmin Open.
In the quarterfinals, Sonay Kartal will face Linda Noskova who defeated Anastasia Potapova in straight sets in an earlier match.
Qinwen Zheng Raises Eyebrows With Comments
After Iga Swiatek commented that the WTA Tour is too long, Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng disagreed with both of them.
After Iga Swiatek complained about the “overwhelming” schedule and said that the stars “play too much” Qinwin Zheng said this… 🎤👀 pic.twitter.com/1ZE53sag7f
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) September 30, 2025
She indicated that it is not too much for professional athletes despite the fact that no other professional sport in the world has as long or as taxing a season with travel, training, and dealing with changing conditions.
What makes the comments more intriguing is that Zheng returned to the China Open after not playing since Wimbledon because of undergoing elbow surgery that was a nagging injury for her earlier in the season.
Due to the concern of injury, Zheng Qinwen may adjust of her playing schedule for the upcoming weeks. “I’m not really sure yet about my next plans. I need to go back and check what the situation inside actually is. This has been a completely new kind of strain on my body, so I’ll… pic.twitter.com/qMaxkp4tbW
— Titan Sports (@titan_plus) October 1, 2025
And she had to retire from her China Open match noting that the elbow is not 100% yet. Tennis elbow is a classic injury because of overuse, and Zheng has played less tennis than Swiatek or Alcaraz this year.
