Who is Sonay Kartal? Rising British star facing Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in round of 16 of Wimbledon 2025
Kartal's journey to the fourth round of the Wimbledon 2025 is a significant milestone. Last year, she reached the third round at Wimbledon as a wildcard ranked 281 in the world, losing to Coco Gauff. This year, ranked world No. 51, she made a comeback and defeated high-caliber players like 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko and Viktoriya Tomova before her win against France's Diane Parry in the third round. The 23-year-old from Brighton, born in Sidcup, delivered a commanding 6-4, 6-2 victory over Parry.
'I was pretty nervous walking out there,' Kartal admitted after her third-round match. 'It's a big court with a lot of meaning to me.'
Standing at just 5ft 4in, Kartal is the shortest player left in the women's singles draw, a fact she embraces with pride.
'You have got to have different skills in your locker,' she told BBC Sport. 'I have not got the long limbs, so I have to make up for it with speed around the court.'
Anne Keothavong, Great Britain's Billie Jean King Cup captain, praised Kartal's foot speed and power, noting, 'What she lacks in height she makes up for with power and foot speed'.
In the round of 16, Kartal takes on world No. 50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a seasoned Russian player and former French Open finalist. Pavlyuchenkova ranked just one spot below Kartal, advanced after defeating four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in a three-set thriller. This evenly matched contest offers Kartal a chance to reach the quarterfinals.
Sonay Kartal is a self-funded teenager who traveled to tournaments without a coach. She faced significant setbacks, including a two-year hiatus from tennis due to injuries. Despite these challenges, she has risen to world No. 51, with projections suggesting a climb into the top 45 after Wimbledon. Off the court, Kartal's distinctive style shines through her retro-inspired tennis outfits and love for 1990s music. Her 14 tattoos, including one reading 'The show must go on,' reflect her resilience.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
Emma Navarro rewrites the 'Billionaire's Daughter' narrative at Wimbledon 2025
Image via Instagram/ Emma Navarro As Centre Court roars to life during Wimbledon 2025, few players have captured public curiosity quite like Emma Navarro. The 23-year-old American has been steadily building her reputation on the professional tennis circuit, but this week, she's also making headlines for something far more personal — reclaiming her identity beyond the weight of her last name. Navarro, ranked inside the WTA Top 20, is the daughter of billionaire businessman Ben Navarro, the founder of Sherman Financial Group and owner of the Credit One Charleston Open, one of the most prominent WTA events on U.S. soil. But Emma wants the world to know that she's not just a beneficiary of her father's empire — she's an athlete who's worked hard to earn her place. 'I feel like I've worked really hard': Navarro on earning her place In a candid and thoughtful interview with People, she broke her silence on what it feels like to carry a label she never asked for. 'I think that everyone's always going to have something to say,' she told People. 'I feel really lucky to have the support that I do and to have had the opportunities that I've had.' Navarro's comments come as she reaches the second week of Wimbledon — the first time she's made it this far at the Grand Slam. Known for her measured groundstrokes and relentless footwork, she has quietly climbed the rankings over the past two years, claiming her first WTA title in Hobart earlier this season. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why seniors are rushing to get this Internet box – here's why! Techno Mag Learn More Undo Emma Navarro Opens Up on Being Called 'Billionaire's Daughter' — Here's What She Really Thinks Her father's involvement in tennis has sometimes created the illusion that her career was preordained, or worse, handed to her. But Navarro set the record straight: 'I feel like I've worked really hard to be where I am and to establish myself as a tennis player,' she said. 'I don't feel like I'm playing tennis because my dad owns a tennis tournament or anything like that.' It's a pointed response to the kind of off-court judgment that many second-generation athletes face. Emma didn't coast into the sport on her surname — she earned a scholarship to the University of Virginia, where she won the NCAA singles title in 2021. Turning pro shortly after, she began her climb the hard way — through ITF events, qualifying rounds, and mid-tier WTA tournaments. Still, Navarro knows public perception isn't easy to shift. 'There's always going to be people that try to kind of strip me of that,' she told People. 'But I think that I've done a good job of kind of proving myself, and I feel like I belong.' She also acknowledged the privileged circumstances she comes from, though she refuses to apologize for them. 'I've kind of gotten used to that,' she added. 'And I don't feel like it's anything I need to apologize for. ' (via At Wimbledon, Navarro isn't just fighting for a quarterfinal spot — she's also symbolizing a broader conversation about identity in elite sports. She is part of a generation of athletes who are no longer defined by where they came from, but by what they do. And what Navarro is doing — defeating seeded players, calmly handling media scrutiny, and staying grounded through it all — proves she's not a side note to her father's legacy. She's the headline now. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
Hindustan Times
23 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Djokovic, Sinner on Wimbledon collision course
Wimbledon title rivals Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner will move closer to a blockbuster semi-final showdown if they win their fourth-round ties on Monday as officals blamed human error for an embarrassing electronic line-calling blunder. Djokovic, Sinner on Wimbledon collision course Djokovic, the seven-time Wimbledon champion, and world number one Sinner are on course to meet in a heavyweight last-four clash. While defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is yet to consistently find his top form at the tournament, Djokovic and Sinner have been dominant on the grass. Fresh from his 100th win at Wimbledon on Saturday making him the third player to reach that landmark after Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer Djokovic faces Australian 11th seed Alex de Minaur. Sinner has dropped just 17 games in his first three matches, equalling Jan Kodes' 1972 record for the lowest number of games lost on route to the Wimbledon last 16. "About the games lost, this is whatever. I'm not looking at these kind of records. I know that everything can change very quickly from one round to the other," said the Italian. Both Djokovic and Sinner, who is yet to drop serve in this year's event, have added motivation to lift the trophy on July 13. Three-time Grand Slam champion Sinner, who takes on Bulgarian 19th seed Grigor Dmitrov on Monday, is looking to reach his maiden Wimbledon final. Aged 38, Djokovic is aiming to win a record 25th major title, breaking a tie with the long-retired Margaret Court, and a record-equalling eighth men's crown at the All England Club. Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek has never reached a Wimbledon final but the Pole is in a strong position in the second week of the tournament after the exit of so many of the top seeds. Although Swiatek, who plays Danish 23rd seed Clara Tauson in the last 16, has reached only one All England Club quarter-final, she made the Bad Homburg final on grass recently and also won the Wimbledon junior title. Russian seventh seed Mirra Andreeva, who is just 18 years old, can reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time if she defeats American 10th seed Emma Navarro, who ended Barbora Krejcikova's reign as champion on Saturday. Wimbledon officials will be keen to shift the spotlight back to the tennis after a failure of the tournament's electronic line-calling system on Sunday. A fully automated system has replaced human line judges at Wimbledon this year, but officials were forced to apologise to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Sonay Kartal after a mistake with the technology during their fourth-round match on Sunday. Organisers admitted the system was turned off in error on a section of Centre Court for one game, with the mistake only becoming apparent when a shot from Britain's Kartal that clearly missed the baseline was not called out. Had the call been correct, it would have given Russia's 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. The Russian, who eventually won the match, accused the official of home bias, saying: "Because she is local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me." But All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton told reporters on Monday that the system was "working optimally." "The issue we had was human error in terms of the tracking system having been inadvertently deactivated, and then the chair not being made aware of the fact that it had been deactivated," she said. "We've spoken to the players, we've apologised to them, we've very quickly moved into reviewing everything that had happened yesterday afternoon and putting in place the appropriate changes to the processes." jw This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Video: Roger Federer watches Novak Djokovic in action from Wimbledon Royal Box
Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer was seated in the iconic Royal Box at SW19 on Monday, 7 July. The Swiss great, winner of 20 Grand Slam titles, was there to watch Novak Djokovic in action during his men's singles fourth-round match against Australia's Alex de Minaur. Federer was accompanied by his wife and former tennis player, Mirka, in the VIP was Federer's first visit to Wimbledon this season. Dressed in a purple blazer and wearing black sunglasses, he looked as dapper as Day 8 Updates Centre Court gave Federer a rousing reception as he made his way to the Royal Box. The Swiss maestro made Wimbledon his own over the years, clinching eight titles—five of them consecutively between 2003 and 2007. He last won the tournament in 2017 and reached the final again in 2019.A king of the court in the Royal BoxWelcome back to Centre Court, @rogerfederer #Wimbledon Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2025On court, Djokovic struggled to find his rhythm early on, losing the first set 1-6 to De Minaur. However, the Serb fought back to take the second set 6-4, levelling the match in front of an intrigued Royal Box was glittering with star power on Monday. Alongside Federer, legendary England cricketer James Anderson was also in attendance, watching the fourth-round action. The two sporting icons were seen exchanging pleasantries during the batter Joe Root was also in attendance, a day after he was part of a Test match between England and India in Birmingham. LARA PICKS SABALENKA AS DOUBLES PARTNERMeanwhile, legendary West Indies batter Brian Lara was also a guest in the Royal Box earlier in the week. The holder of the highest individual score in men's Test cricket looked sharp in a grey suit paired with a blue said he had been closely following Carlos Alcaraz's rise and was especially impressed by his performance in the French Open final, where the Spaniard outlasted World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in five gruelling sets. He also praised Sinner, saying the young Italian still has room to grow and could become one of the sport's all-time asked which player he would choose as a doubles partner, Lara named World No. 1 in women's singles, Aryna x Cricket Who is Brian Lara's dream tennis opponent? #Wimbledon #BrianLara #cricket Wimbledon Radio Channel (@wimbledonradio) July 7, 2025Earlier in the day, 23-year-old Italian Flavio Cobolli defeated former finalist Marin Cilic to reach the quarter-final of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. Cobolli's father, who was at the stands, was not able to control his tears after his son passed a stern test on Monday.- Ends
