Lily Miyazaki Falls Short in Jasmin Open, Sonay Kartal Marches to Quarter-Finals

Great Britain’s Lily Miyazaki was unable to join compatriot Sonay Kartal in the quarter-finals of the Jasmin Open after a straight-sets loss to Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic. Miyazaki, ranked fifth in Britain, was hoping to secure her first-ever appearance in the last eight of a WTA Tour event, but the 28-year-old was outclassed by Ruzic in Tunisia. The Croatian needed just 71 minutes to seal a 6-3, 6-1 victory, setting up a quarter-final clash with Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti.

Ruzic, currently ranked 173rd in the world, capitalized on Miyazaki’s inconsistent form throughout the match, dominating both sets and breaking the Brit’s serve multiple times to secure a convincing win. Bronzetti, the seventh seed, booked her spot in the next round after defeating American Ann Li 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) in a hard-fought contest.

Despite Miyazaki’s exit, Britain’s Sonay Kartal celebrated reaching her first-ever WTA Tour quarter-final earlier in the tournament. The 21-year-old delivered a composed performance to defeat Japan’s Mai Hontama in straight sets, marking a career milestone for the rising star.

Meanwhile, fellow Brit Francesca Jones also advanced to the quarter-finals at a WTA 125 event in Slovenia. The 23-year-old from Bradford outplayed Croatia’s Petra Marcinko, winning 7-5, 6-1, to secure her place in the last eight. Jones will now face Andorra’s Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva in the next round as she looks to continue her impressive run.

Though Miyazaki fell short, the success of Kartal and Jones shows the depth of British talent making waves on the international tennis stage. Both players will now aim to carry the momentum forward as they chase further career breakthroughs in their respective tournaments.