Kartal, 23, produced a stunning performance to thrash Brazilian 16th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2 6-1.

It is the British number three’s first win against an opponent in the top 20.

The world number 83 has also reached the last 32 of a WTA 1,000 event – the tier below the Grand Slam tournaments – for the first time.

“Being a lucky loser takes the pressure off and you could say it’s a good position to be in,” Kartal told BBC Sport.

“It’s nice to have this second chance and almost like a free run at it.”

Kartal lost in the second qualifying round on her debut in the Californian desert, but was handed a spot in the main draw when former US Open champion Sloane Stephens withdrew through injury.

It is the first time the Englishwoman has been picked out as a lucky loser.

Kartal was placed in a draw among the four highest-ranked players to lose in qualifying following Stephens’ withdrawal.

After beating 38-year-old American qualifier Varvara Lepchenko in the first round, Kartal used the feel she has gained on the new-look Indian Wells courts, external over the past week to great effect against Haddad Maia.

Haddad Maia, ranked 17th in the world, received a bye into the second round and looked out of sorts again as she slumped to a fifth successive defeat.

“It was one of those matches where you come off court thinking ‘I can’t fault myself too much’,” added Kartal, who plays 60th-ranked Polina Kudermetova for a place in the last 16.

“I’m super proud of that performance and it’s given me a lot of confidence heading into the next match.”

Kartal’s run is another notable landmark for a player who has enjoyed one of the sharpest rises on the WTA Tour in the past year.

In October, she won a maiden tour title in Monastir and cracked the world’s top 100 for the first time as a result.

At the start of 2024, Kartal feared she would not play again that season because of a health scare that left her going “in and out of hospital”.

But she returned to action within three months and has gone from strength to strength after saying the experience changed her outlook.