Briton Sonay Kartal triumphs at China Open while Arthur Fery exits Japan Open

After a six-month layoff due to a lower-back injury sustained at Indian Wells, 24-year-old Sonay Kartal returned to the WTA Tour at the Billie Jean King Cup on 22 September and then captured a straight-sets victory over Spain’s Andrea Lazaro Garcia at the China Open in Beijing, posting a 6-2 6-3 scoreline, five service breaks and a 69 % first-serve rate. The win sets up a third-round clash with Chinese 31st seed Wang Xinyu as Kartal seeks to climb back up the rankings.

Fellow Britons Harriet Dart and Cameron Norrie also have matches later in the day. In the Japan Open, British No. 1 Arthur Fery was eliminated in the opening round, losing 6-4 3-6 6-4 to Portuguese lucky-loser Jaime Faria. Additionally, Denmark’s Holger Rune, making his first ATP appearance in almost a year after tearing his Achilles tendon in October 2025, suffered a 6-3 6-1 defeat to France’s Kyrian Jacquet in Tokyo.