Kartal thanks Andreeva after her win against the Russian: "She pushed me to play my best tennis"

British player Sonay Kartal achieved a remarkable feat by reaching the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career after her victory over Mirra Andreeva, ranked 5th in the WTA.

Kartal's fairy tale continues in Beijing. Ranked 81st in the world, the British player qualified this Wednesday for the first time in her career for the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 after her win against Mirra Andreeva (7-5, 2-6, 7-5).

Before facing Linda Noskova for a spot in the semifinals on Friday, the 23-year-old player reflected on her prestigious victory against the Russian, who was the number 4 seed in the Chinese capital.

"I had said it was going to be far from easy; she's in the top 10 for a reason. She pushed me to play my best tennis today, so I'm grateful to her for allowing me to reach that level.

I'm super happy with the level I managed to maintain until the end. My on-court demeanor is one of my biggest strengths. If you were watching me from the other end of the court, you wouldn't know if I was winning or losing.

I tried to put the second set behind me. She played very well in the second set; I just tried to get back into the match in the third set and keep the pressure on the scoreboard as much as possible," Kartal stated in recent hours for the media outlet Tennis Up To Date.