I would say take 3 weeks for back and forth in case of bad luck.

They apparently now ask a 1 TK flight before they allow status match so have that.

I personally was fine in 2024 with booking something in November while applying late September/early October for status match (at the time no need to show a TK flight before the match). I had 2 weeks back and forth on queries like what did you fly with your current alliance.