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Tennis
Sonay Kartal disappointed in performance during Australian Open first-round loss
Sonay Kartal declared her performance the worst she had played in years after slumping to a first-round defeat at the Australian Open.
There was no disgrace for the British number two, who is ranked 66th, in losing to 31st seed Anna Kalinskaya, but it was the manner of her 7-6 (3) 6-1 defeat than rankled.
Kartal arrived in Melbourne on the back of a very narrow loss to Elina Svitolina in Auckland that seemed to have carried on her momentum from a strong end to last season.
She initially had the upper hand against Kalinskaya but ultimately paid for relying too much on the Russian’s errors.
Kartal played a poor tie-break and her chances of a comeback evaporated as Kalinskaya opened up a 5-0 lead in the second set.
“Obviously very disappointed,” said Kartal, who is still looking for her first victory at the tournament.
“For me, it was not my finest at all, even my base level was not really there today, which is something I rely on.
“I think, if I could go back out there now and play that match again, I’d play it a completely different way.
“Maybe she did raise her level but my level dipped to a level that hasn’t been that low for years, probably.
“I ended last year feeling good and feel like I was training well. The warm-up this morning, I was playing well.
“I’m super disappointed, especially after Auckland. It’s a long old season ahead so I’m not going to look too deep into this.”
