Aryna Sabalenka vs Sonay Kartal Prediction & Picks - WTA Indian Wells

Prediction published on 3/12/25, 3:26 PM  by Lou Aguila | Modified on 3/12/25 at 3:28 PM in Tennis Picks

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus is set to face a tricky opponent in the fourth round of the 2025 Indian Wells Open, where an upset-minded Sonay Kartal of Great Britain is waiting to pounce on her biggest win of her career. Sabalenka marched into the round of 16 by beating both Mccartney Kessler 7-6, 6-3 and Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 6-2 in straight sets. Before earning her first back-to-back wins in over a month, Sabalenka had run into some form issues that led to early-round exits in Qatar and Dubai. Sabalenka’s second-round win over Kessler was also far from convincing, though the world’s No.1 put worries to rest with a dominant win over Bronzetti in the next round. Kartal has won her last three matches at Indian Wells to reach the round of 16. Despite losing to Clervie Ngounoue in the final qualifier, Kartal still earned a place in the main draw as a lucky loser. Making the most of her second chance, the Brit has rattled off three impressive wins over quality opponents. She defeated Varvara Lepechenko 7-6(6) 6-2, Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2 6-1 and Polina Kudermetova 7-5 6-3 to get to where she is at right now: one win away from her first WTA 1000 quarterfinals.