Sonay Kartal falls to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro despite second-set fightback Sonay Kartal’s comeback fell short as her Australian Open debut ended in defeat to Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Kartal was playing her first match of the season after choosing to stay at home over Christmas and she could find no traction in the opening set, watching a succession of winners fly past her following a further delay while the umpire used a towel to help dry damp patches on the court.
Bouzas Maneiro, ranked 33 places above Kartal at 54 in the world, knocked Katie Boulter out of the US Open last year and began her season with a one-sided victory over Maria Sakkari at the United Cup.
She was staring at defeat inside an hour when Bouzas Maneiro, who hit 23 winners in the match compared to just six from Kartal, made it nine games in a row but from there things began to shift.
There were more errors from the Spaniard’s racket and Kartal found a foothold, breaking Bouzas Maneiro twice and saving a match point at 4-5 thanks to some tenacious defending and a poor volley from her opponent.
