Sonay Kartal shines in Wimbledon spotlight to clinch best grand slam result
She is in the last 16 of a grand slam for the first time in her career after a sizzling 6-4 6-2 victory.
When Jack Draper was knocked out by Marin Cilic on Thursday he admitted the expectation levels surrounding home players made him realise just how big two-time winner Andy Murray's achievements were.
But laid-back Kartal is taking all the hype in her stride as she prepares for a crack at Russian veteran Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for a place in the quarter-finals.
'I enjoy it. I think it's an honour,' she said. 'Obviously if you've got a lot of attention on you, it means you're doing good things.
'I'm pretty calm and pretty collected. I don't think it's going to affect me too much. But no, I'm just enjoying it all. I'll still pretty young. It's my first fourth round.
The show must go on 🤩
Sonay Kartal is into the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career after defeating Diane Parry 6-4, 6-2 on No.1 Court 👏#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/aaie8y1KQz
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2025
'I feel like I'm going to go out on the court in the next round kind of with nothing to lose at the minute. I'm going to go swinging.
'I think the pressure that I'll feel is the pressure I will be putting on myself just wanting to perform as best as I can.'
Kartal, ranked 298 this time last year, is on the cusp of the top 50 and could even finish the tournament as British number one, usurping Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter.
She is the fourth unseeded British woman to reach the fourth round this century after Laura Robson, Heather Watson and Raducanu.
Kartal has been shining on Court Three this week but on Friday she was first up on Court One, the scene of her defeat by Coco Gauff at the same stage last year.
She made a nervous start, falling 4-1 behind, but then won the next nine games to move a set and 4-0 up on her way to a hugely impressive victory in an hour and 22 minutes.
'I'm not going to lie, I was pretty nervous walking out there,' she added. 'It's a big court with a match that has a lot of meaning to me.
'Obviously last year, that was also in the back of my mind, losing to Coco on the same court in the same round.
'I tried to take everything I learnt from that match and put it into play on the court, tried to relax as best as I could.
'When I got it level, I felt like I was pretty good. The nerves were gone. I just felt super comfortable out there.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
Wimbledon briefing: Day seven recap, Monday order of play and technology woe
British singles hopes at Wimbledon rest on Cameron Norrie after his gruelling five-set win followed Sonay Kartal's defeat on Sunday. Kartal's loss to Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova included an embarrassing malfunction of Wimbledon's new electronic line-calling system on Centre Court. The singles quarter-final line-up will be completed on Monday, with Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek all on the schedule. Here, the PA news agency looks back at Sunday's action and previews day eight of the Championships. Norrie mania returns Cameron Norrie kept the British flag flying at Wimbledon by taking down qualifier Nicolas Jarry in a five-set marathon to reach the quarter-finals. The 29-year-old had a match point in the third set, but was taken to a fifth by the towering Chilean before getting over the line after four hours and 27 minutes. Norrie, a semi-finalist in 2022, is only the third British man to reach the last eight more than once in the last 50 years, after Tim Henman and Andy Murray, and is the last home hope remaining in singles after Sonay Kartal was beaten in straight sets by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Technology fail Wimbledon officials had to apologise to Pavlyuchenkova and Kartal after an embarrassing malfunction of the new electronic line-calling system on Centre Court. Organisers admitted the technology was turned off in error on a section of the court for a game, with the mistake only becoming apparent when a shot from Kartal that clearly missed the baseline was not called out. Had the call been correct, it would have given Pavlyuchenkova a 5-4 lead in the first set, but instead umpire Nico Helwerth ruled the point should be replayed, with Kartal going on to win the game. A Wimbledon spokesperson later said the technology was 'deactivated in error on part of the server's side of the court', the 'chair umpire followed the established process' and both players had received an apology. Sabalenka and Alcaraz progress Women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka beat Elise Mertens in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals for an 11th successive grand slam appearance. The victory was her 46th of the season – way ahead of any other player, with only four women managing more wins in the whole of 2024 – but having lost in the Australian Open and French Open finals so far this year, she is desperate to win Wimbledon for the first time. Meanwhile, reigning men's champion Carlos Alcaraz remains on course for a third successive SW19 title. The Spaniard dropped the opening set against Russian 14th seed Andrey Rublev, but he fought back to extend his winning streak to 22 matches. Match of the day Alex De Minaur has been forced to wait for a crack at seven-time champion Djokovic. The pair were scheduled to meet in the 2024 quarter-finals before a devastated De Minaur withdrew ahead of play due to a hip injury sustained in his previous round win over Arthur Fils. Twelve months on, the Australian has an opportunity a round earlier. Order of play Centre Court (from 1.30pm) Novak Djokovic (6) v Alex De Minaur (11)Mirra Andreeva (7) v Emma Navarro (10)Jannik Sinner (1) v Grigor Dimitrov (19) Court One (from 1pm) Ekaterina Alexandrova (17) v Belinda BencicBen Shelton (10) v Lorenzo SonegoIga Swiatek (8) v Clara Tauson (23) Weather Heavy rain changing to sunny intervals by late morning, with a maximum temperature of 23C, according to the Met Office.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool learn Malick Fofana asking price as Luis Diaz speaks out about future
Liverpool have already made six new signings this summer and there could be plenty more incomings and outgoings before the transfer window slams shut on September 1 Liverpool have enjoyed a busy summer so far, bringing in the likes of Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giorgi Mamardashvili as Arne Slot looks to guide the Reds to another Premier League title win. There have also been a number of outgoings, with Trent Alexander-Arnold joining Real Madrid, Jarell Quansah making the move to Bayer Leverkusen and Caoimhin Kelleher signing for Brentford. And there could be plenty more incomings and outgoings before the window slams shut on September 1. Here, Mirror Football takes a look at all the latest transfer news and rumours from in and around Anfield... Fofana's asking price According to a report from the Independent, Liverpool target Malick Fofana is valued at around €60m (£51.5m) by Lyon. The report states that Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Nottingham Forest and Fulham are all interested in the 20-year-old after he produced 17 goal contributions in 41 games last season. The report states that Lyon are hopeful the price will be driven up due to the amount of interest in Fofana. The French side do need to sell as their financial problems have seen them relegated from Ligue 1, although the club are appealing the decision. Diaz speaks out Luis Diaz has been heavily linked with a move away from Liverpool this summer, with both Barcelona and Bayern Munich said to be interested in signing the winger. And Diaz has now spoken out about the rumours, telling Colombian broadcaster WinSports: "It's not known yet, we're talking with the board. We're comfortable with where I am, and we'll have to see." However, it has previously been reported that Liverpool have do not want to sell the winger and have already rejected an approach from Bayern. Diaz scored 17 goals and provided eight assists across all competitions last season. Zubimendi joins Arsenal Arsenal have signed midfielder Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, just one year after he rejected the chance to join Liverpool. Zubimendi was reluctant to leave his boyhood club last year and the 26-year-old has now revealed why he has chosen Arsenal. "This is a huge moment in my career," he told the Arsenal website. "It's the move I was looking for and one I wanted to make. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are. I set my sights on Arsenal because their style of play is a good fit for me. They have shown their potential recently and the best is yet to come."
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Wimbledon star forced to borrow shorts from her coach after breaking strict rule
The All England Club has long had a strict dress code, and Wimbledon star Anna Kournikova famously fell foul of one of its rules It's not just on Centre Court where you can get in trouble for breaking strict dress code rules at Wimbledon - it can happen on the practice court too! Infamously, Anna Kournikova once had to borrow a pair of shorts from her coach during a practice session after violating the All England Club's strict dress code. At SW19, players are almost always required to wear all-white. There have of course been exceptions. For example, this year, players were allowed to wear black armbands to pay tribute to tragic Liverpool star Diogo Jota following his death on Thursday. But mostly, players have largely had to wear nothing but white on court down the years. And that's something which, before the 2002 tournament had even begun, Russia ace Kournikova fell foul of. At the time she was ranked No.54 in the world and was competing at SW19 for the final time in her career. But she found herself reprimanded for turning up to practice in a pair of black shorts. Before she could even step onto the court, Kournikova was sternly informed by tournament officials that she needed to change her attire. Unfortunately, she did not have a pair of white shorts on her person and had to resort to another option. Thus, she borrowed a pair from the legendary late coach Nick Bollettieri in order to comply with the rules and stay on court. In 1963, rules were implemented requiring all competitors to dress 'predominantly in white'. Then 32 years later, the wording was altered to 'almost entirely white.' This rule applies both during matches and on the practice court. Kournikova isn't the only one who has skirted the regulations and she did make sure to don all-white for her opening match against Tatiana Panova - although, she ended up losing in three sets. She did reach the women's doubles semi-finals that year however, before falling to eventual champions Serena and Venus Williams. Andre Agassi famously skipped the tournament from 1988 to 1990 in protest of the all-white clothing rule, later expressing in his autobiography: "I resent rules, but especially arbitrary rules. Why must I wear white? I don't want to wear white. "Why should it matter to these people what I wear? Above all, I took offence at being barred and blocked and made to feel unwanted." Nick Kyrgios caused a stir when he stepped onto Centre Court in 2022 sporting a red cap and red trainers, and he has recently urged the tournament to scrap the all-white dress code to allow players more freedom to express their individuality at the Grand Slam.
