Kartal S. vs Anisimova A.

WTA London – Match Preview

Kartal S. vs Anisimova A.

🧠 Form & Context

• Sonay Kartal 🇬🇧
  British wildcard Sonay Kartal stunned world No. 16 Daria Kasatkina in the opening round, scoring her second career top-20 win. While her 2025 form has been streaky since Indian Wells, she remains a threat on home turf—particularly on grass, where her baseline stability and court IQ shine. Kartal thrives with local support, as seen in her Wimbledon breakthrough last year, and appears to be building a credible grass résumé at just the right time.
• Amanda Anisimova 🇺🇸
  After a tough 2024 that saw her drop out of the top 400, Anisimova is back with a vengeance—winning Doha, reaching multiple WTA R16s, and returning to the top 20. She arrives with a 20–10 W/L record this season and deep runs in both Miami and Roland-Garros. However, she retired in Paris last month and needed three sets to get past Burrage in R1 here. Still, her flat, early-striking game is made for grass, and she’s a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist.

🔍 Match Breakdown

Anisimova will try to dictate early, using her aggressive baseline play and flat groundstrokes to keep Kartal on the defensive. If she finds her rhythm quickly, it could be one-way traffic. But the Brit has proven she can absorb power and frustrate opponents—particularly on this surface.

Kartal’s path to victory depends on drawing out rallies and exposing Anisimova’s movement, especially wide on the forehand. If Anisimova’s fitness is still a concern and Kartal can stretch the match, this could get tricky. The longer it goes, the more the home crowd becomes a factor.

🔮 Prediction

Prediction: Anisimova in straight sets.
Kartal is riding high after her Kasatkina win and should make this competitive, but Anisimova’s firepower, experience, and grass pedigree give her the upper hand—provided she holds up physically. Expect tighter sets than the scoreboard may suggest.