Sonay Kartal Withdraws from GB Billie Jean King Cup Tie Due to Injury
Sonay Kartal, currently ranked 55th in the world, has withdrawn from Great Britain's Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against Australia scheduled in Melbourne next week due to injury.
Kartal's absence means that Great Britain will compete without their four highest-ranked players, as Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter, and Francesca Jones were not selected for the initial squad, focusing instead on their clay-court seasons.
The 24-year-old Kartal revealed she has not fully recovered from a lower back injury that caused her to retire during a fourth-round match at Indian Wells last month against world number three Elena Rybakina.
"After having some scans it is clear that I'm going to need a little more time to let it heal," Kartal said.
"Sadly it means I won't be joining the girls in Australia but wishing them the best of luck for the tie.
"Gutted to be sidelined but already looking forward to being back out there soon. I'll see you on the clay."
With Kartal out, world number 181 Harriet Dart becomes the highest-ranked singles player representing Great Britain in the tie, which will take place on 10-11 April.
GB captain Anne Keothavong has faced challenges in convincing the top British players to travel to Australia for a hard-court tie, especially as the European clay-court season is commencing.
Alongside Dart, Keothavong has selected Katie Swan, 17-year-old Mika Stojsavljevic, and Jodie Burrage for the competition.
Australia's team includes three players ranked inside the world's top 80: Maya Joint, Talia Gibson, and Kimberly Birrell.
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