
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.'

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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Six clubs for Alexander Isak including Liverpool, Arsenal and even Man Utd after star tells Newcastle he wants to leave
Scroll down to see every club that could swoop for the wantaway star SAK IT OFF Six clubs for Alexander Isak including Liverpool, Arsenal and even Man Utd after star tells Newcastle he wants to leave Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ALEXANDER ISAK isn't short of suitors after his sensational campaign last season. Isak, 25, is keen to leave Newcastle United this summer after turning down the prospect of a £300,000-per-week extension on Tyneside. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 Alexander Isak wants to leave Newcastle United Credit: Getty 8 The Swedish bagsman has opted to steer clear of Newcastle's pre-season tour amid the speculation, something which the Magpies insist is due to a 'minor thigh injury'. Newcastle have been adamant that their star man is NOT for sale, but that hasn't stopped clubs from sniffing around the wantaway striker anyway. Liverpool already registered their interest in putting up British-record numbers to sign him earlier in the window and are thought to still be interested despite signing Hugo Ekitike. While Arsenal are amongst the clubs who have been known to admire Isak for some time. Here SunSport breaks down six possible new clubs for Isak, who is valued at over £150MILLION by Newcastle... LIVERPOOL Liverpool seem the likeliest home for Isak if he is to be sold by Newcastle. Despite already splashing nearly £300MILLION on new arrivals this summer - including £79m striker Ekitike - Liverpool are still keen on signing Isak. The Anfield outfit had a £120m approach for the former Borussia Dortmund man knocked back earlier in the window. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS SunSport understand that the signing of Ekitike doesn't end their pursuit of Isak. While they could easily raise funds for their transfer war chest with the sales of Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz. 8 Liverpool have already signed Hugo Ekitike this summer Credit: Reuters Newcastle contract blunder could cost them Isak ARSENAL Mikel Arteta is well-known to be a huge fan of Isak and the Swede was the Gunners' dream target for a striker this summer. However, Arsenal have since turned their attention to Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres after being told in no uncertain terms that Isak is not for sale. Arsenal are now on the brink of completing that deal for a fee of around £54.8m with £8.6m worth of add-ons. The Emirates outfit are well-known to like to spend within their means and steer well clear of risking FFP breaches, meaning adding another £150m to their summer spending seems unlikely. The Arsenal ownership will have to weigh up if it's more important to push the boat out in pursuit of finally ending their streak of second-placed finishes, or if they should stick to their business plan. Alternatively, they could listen to the slew of fans that are calling for them to cancel Gyokeres' incoming medical and go all-in on Isak, although that might not be a great look. 8 Arsenal have opted to sign Viktor Gyokeres Credit: Getty CHELSEA If there's one team that doesn't seem to care about FFP, it's Chelsea. The Blues have come up with creative accounting in recent years to allow them to have leeway when it comes to spending, with reports suggesting they still have room for another £100m of spending this summer. The Independent claim that Chelsea are monitoring Isak's situation, but would have to shift from their current targets - having been linked to Xavi Simon and Jorrel Hato this week. While Enzo Maresca has already added two new striker's to his squad this summer in Liam Delap and Joao Pedro. Nicolas Jackson is thought to be on his way out of the club too and if Chelsea can get the rumoured £80m they want for the 24-year-old then Maresca will have even more money to throw in Isak's direction. 8 Joao Pedro has settled in well already at Chelsea Credit: Alamy MANCHESTER UNITED Ruben Amorim is hoping to add a striker to his squad before the start of the new campaign. Isak would be a dream addition for United up front, having missed out on their other targets in Gyokeres and Ekitike. However there are two huge issues that would stand in the way of a potential move to Old Trafford. Firstly, Amorim is already stretching the club's purse strings this summer with little in the way of a budget for the Red Devils. However, that could change if they are able to shift on deadwood like Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Jadon Sancho for a sizeable chunk of cash. United's second issue would be their lack of European football. Not only would Isak be giving up Champions League nights by leaving Newcastle for Man Utd, but throwing away European competition altogether next term. 8 Ruben Amorim has little budget to play with at Man Utd Credit: Alamy REAL MADRID If it's European football and a top side that Isak is after, look no further than Real Madrid. Isak could join Madrid's team of Galacticos to seal what is a dream move for most professional players. The La Liga club are still operating without an out-and-out striker in their front three as they use Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior down the middle. While Mbappe has also just changed his shirt number to No.10 after Luka Modric's exit from the Bernabeu, leaving the No.9 shirt available for an incoming striker. Of course, Madrid have recently pivoted from their big-money signing model to opt for a more frugal approach of signing players on the expiration of their deals. They did so with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mbappe but wouldn't be able to skimp on signing Isak, who still has three years left on his current terms. 8 Isak could join Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior in Real Madrid's front line Credit: Reuters AL HILAL Reports have claimed that clubs in Saudi Arabia are monitoring Isak's situation, and Al-Hilal have been amongst those discussed. You'd imagine the £150m would be no problem for the Saudi dealmakers, who have already lodged bids in excess of £250MILLION in the past. However, a switch to the Middle East could raise some eyebrows given that Al-Hilal are owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) - the same ownership as Newcastle. Spending £150m on Isak would effectively be like PIF's head honchos moving a wedge of cash from their left pocket to their right. However it remains to be seen if Isak would want to head to Saudi Arabia in the prime of his career, stepping away from European football and the Premier League. Despite its growing status in the game, the Saudi Pro League is still seen by most as a step down from Europe's top leagues.


Times
an hour ago
- Times
Jac Morgan on Lions bench proves form does at least count for something
Thank the Lord for Jac Morgan's selection. Or thank Lord Farrell, at least. Morgan's selection can give you faith. Legions of British & Irish Lions fans will be relieved and delighted that Morgan has been promoted to the bench for the second Test against Australia in Melbourne on Saturday. And, yes, a majority of them may be Welsh, but what is crucial here is to remember the position held by Andy Farrell, the head coach: that he won't allow his selection process to be swayed by national interests or any desire to keep all four nations represented. Rightly so, of course. Yet Morgan's selection for the second Test is important for reasons far more weighty than any kind of PR. It is only a bench spot, but it is representative of far more. It proves that it has still been possible to play your way into the team. This is essential to how the Lions operate. Indeed, if they do not operate this way, then the Lions do not work — and that was, worryingly, how the class of 2025 had been looking. Every Lions coach will set out on tour with a likely or possible Test team in his head. Farrell did that and there were surely lots of Irishmen in there. But that's OK if the other players in the squad can change his thinking by the quality of their performances. In the Lions' rich history, there are long chapters on this very subject. Tom Smith and Paul Wallace, the two first-choice props in 1997: they are a chapter in themselves because they were no one's idea of a pair of Test props when the squad left for South Africa, but because of the way they played in the matches in the weeks before the Tests, their quality won them their starting spots. Here in Australia, though, one has wondered: does form still count? Is it actually possible to do a Smith, a Wallace? That was why the selections of Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne a week ago were deemed controversial — because they hadn't notably excelled in the pre-Test games and Morgan had. Of all the back-row forwards in the squad, in those pre-Test games, Morgan was arguably the best of the lot. And yet he didn't even make the bench. It thus became clear how much Farrell had always wanted to start Curry. After Morgan's omission, the appropriate questions then were: what more could he have done? And: is there actually a way in? You do not have to extrapolate much further to then be asking: what was the point of Morgan coming? Not just Morgan, but all those others who boarded the plane more than a month ago and were not in the forefront of Farrell's selection plans. Why were they here if they didn't actually have a chance of breaking in? And once you get to that, you are questioning the very fabric of the touring Lions. But Morgan is in now. He has replaced Ben Earl on the bench. His form demanded it and the demands have been met. There is a spectrum here between being a very flexible selector and one whose opinion is hard to shift. Call it the selector's flexibility scale. For this Lions tour, Farrell's position on the flexibility scale is close to one end, the hard-to-shift end, though Morgan's selection at least shows that it is not at the complete extreme. There are circumstances that come in to play here. The opposition in the pre-Test matches has been subpar. This has lowered the value of a good performance; it has meant you could have a blinder and still not really turn Farrell's head. Morgan was man of the match against the Queensland Reds and that didn't seem to do him much good in the selection conversation for the first Test. You could say that Farrell's position on the selector's flexibility scale was then vindicated because he wasn't swayed by Morgan's form and instead picked Curry on account of the vast body of work in his international career to date and his record for showing up strong for big games — and Curry repaid his faith. Curry was magnificent. For the second Test, what is particularly fascinating about Farrell's team selection is his midfield. Due to injury, he has ended up with Bundee Aki and Huw Jones but he had wanted to go with his Irish duo of Aki and Garry Ringrose. He said that Sione Tuipulotu was suffering from a tight hamstring. Nevertheless, it would appear that, had everyone been fit, he would have gone with the Irish pair, despite the quality of the Scots in the first Test. Yes, even though Jones and Tuipulotu had proved their worth, Farrell would not have been persuaded by their form. That makes his position on the flexibility scale even more extreme. You may wonder, then, what it would take to unseat James Lowe from his Test position on the left wing. Lowe has very much not been in form here in Australia and it would appear he has been fortunate that the rivals to his position in the Test team have been unfit. But what of Blair Kinghorn, returning from injury in the game against a First Nations & Pasifika XV on Tuesday night? What if he'd had a good game? (he didn't). Would his form have forced his way in? That we will probably never know. All we can be sure of is that if you do happen to play outstandingly well over a period of time, then, as Morgan has proved, it is actually possible to change Farrell's mind after all. Second Test, MelbourneSaturday, 11amTV Sky Sports


Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Alexander Isak comments say a lot as Liverpool target requests big-money transfer
Alexander Isak has told Newcastle he wants to leave as he looks to explore his options elsewhere, with Liverpool keen on the forward after he made glowing comments about Arne Slot's side Alexander Isak's past comments show exactly why the striker is pushing for a Newcastle United exit. The Liverpool target has told the Magpies he wants to explore a move to another club after three years at Newcastle under Eddie Howe. Despite being linked with a Liverpool transfer throughout the summer, a move seemed unlikely as Newcastle repeatedly made it clear that their star player was not up for sale, reportedly demanding a whopping £150million fee for him. Liverpool then shifted their focus to signing Frenchman Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal worth up to £79m. However, recent developments regarding Isak have led the Premier League champions to now consider shattering the British transfer record for the second time this summer to secure the Swedish international. On Thursday morning, it was announced that Isak would be absent from Newcastle's pre-season tour of Asia due to what was described as a thigh issue. But Isak is understood to be considering his options. Amid speculation regarding his future, Howe opted to send the Swede home before the pre-season match at Celtic last weekend. Following a standout season where he netted 23 goals in the Premier League, The Times reported that Isak's representatives were seeking a new contract worth around £300,000-per-week. Yet, Newcastle are only prepared to offer up to £200,000-per-week, which may have influenced Isak's decision to now search for another club. However, aside from contract discussions, the striker has previously demonstrated he's not one to shy away from taking the next step for the good of his career, even if that move is considered bold or risky. Following his £63m switch to Newcastle in August 2022, he told the club's official website that this same mindset led him to depart Sweden for Borussia Dortmund at just 17 years of age. Isak explained: "I didn't hesitate to leave Sweden, it was just deciding where. In football, you never know when the next chance is going to come, and so you take it. Obviously, as a young player, you need time on the pitch. If you're not getting that, all you can do is train harder. 'That's what I did, I stayed later, I trained on my own as well. I knew my chance would come, even if it wasn't there, I knew it would come at another club and I wanted to be ready." Liverpool are believed to be a realistic destination for Isak should he leave St James' Park this summer, given their recent Premier League success and financial muscle to pull off the move. Isak himself has also been vocal about his admiration for the Reds' playing style. Newcastle's style of play influenced his decision to join the North East outfit three years ago, as he admitted: 'There's a lot of parts that need to be in place to make a big decision like this. But I think a big reason is the big project that this club has going. 'I've seen the way they play - it's very attractive football - and not least the amazing fans as you can see. [They're] very passionate fans, and you can feel just by being here that this city breathes Newcastle. I'm very happy to be here.' He then compared Liverpool's style of play to Newcastle's after the 2-1 victory in the Carabao Cup final against Arne Slot's side in March, saying after he netted the winning goal: "I really enjoy the games against Liverpool, because I think they're not too different to ourselves. "They are a high-pressing team and a direct team, which can lead to many counter-opportunities. That's the game I like." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.