20th-seeded Emma Navarro will begin her campaign at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open with a second-round clash against Sonay Kartal. Being seeded, Navarro received a bye in the first round, whereas Kartal began her campaign with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Thai qualifier Lanlana Tararudee.
Emma Navarro vs Sonay Kartal Match Details
Date: March 7, 2026
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open 2026
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California, USA
Surface: Outdoor hard
Category: WTA 1000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN, TVA
Navarro vs Kartal Head-to-Head
Navarro has a 2-0 head-to-head record against Kartal, having won both of their matches. The first time they played was at an ITF event in Ilkley in 2023, which Navarro won 6-2, 6-1. Their most recent encounter at the Billie Jean King Cup last year, where the American player won 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Navarro is not having the best season so far, with a 4-7 win-loss record. She had first-round exits at the ASB Classic and at the Australian Open, losing against Francesca Jones and Magda Linette, respectively. She had second-round exits at the WTA 1000 events in Doha and Dubai, losing to Anna Kalinskaya and Elise Mertens, respectively. Her best result was in Adelaide, where she reached the quarterfinals, losing to Diana Shnaider.
Kartal has had a mixed season so far, as the British player did not qualify for Dubai and had first-round exits at the Australian Open and at the Qatar Open. However, she reached the quarterfinals at the ASB Classic, where she lost to eventual champion Elina Svitolina. She had another quarterfinal run at the Abu Dhabi Open as a qualifier, losing once again to the eventual champion, Sára Bejlek.
Navarro vs Kartal Prediction
Navarro has won 72.1 percent of the service games and 29.2 percent of the return games in the 2026 season so far. She has done reasonably well when her serve has been put under pressure, saving 52.1 percent of the break points. She has had a 43.8 percent break-point conversion rate in return games, which is a reasonable standard.
Kartal is a little ahead of Navarro on both metrics, winning 73 percent of her service games and 31.4 percent of the return games. The British player has been broken often, as she saved only 44.2 percent of break points, but she converted 49.1 percent of her break-point opportunities, breaking her opponent’s serve in crunch situations.
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Both players have shaky serves, and therefore, the breaks of serve will be crucial in the upcoming match. Navarro has shown some vulnerability this year in three-set matches, as four of her seven losses have come in three sets. Kartal’s best opportunity is to lengthen the match as much as possible, whereas Navarro will look to end the match on her terms quickly.
The current form of Navarro has been factored in by the PFSN Simulator, which has made Kartal the favorite to win the upcoming match, assigning her a 55 percent win probability. However, Navarro is the higher-ranked player and has the higher ceiling in terms of tennis quality, and should get it done in three sets.
Pick– Navarro to win in three sets.
