Sonay Kartal's impressive Wimbledon run ended by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Irish Examiner

13 hours ago

Sonay Kartal's fine Wimbledon run ended with a fourth-round loss to Russian veteran Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Kartal was eventually overpowered by the 34-year-old former French Open finalist in a 7-6 (3) 6-4 defeat, but the result was overshadowed by a problem with the electronic line-calling system that led Pavlyuchenkova to allege home bias.
On game point serving at 4-4, Pavlyuchenkova was convinced a Kartal shot had landed long but the technology was not working at the time – which Wimbledon organisers later attributed to human error – and the point was replayed.
Pavlyuchenkova went on to lose the game, leaving Kartal serving for the opening set, and she furiously told umpire Nico Helwerth at the change of ends: 'Because she is local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me.'
The controversy did not cost Pavlyuchenkova in the end, with the Russian reaching the quarter-finals at the All England Club for the first time in nine years.
While she had hoped to go further, the consolation for Kartal is that she will hit a new career-high ranking next Monday of around 44 and will surpass her childhood rival Emma Raducanu as British number two.
Kartal could not have had a more dramatic entrance for her first time on Centre Court, with a huge clap of thunder reverberating around the arena as she strode out.
It must have been a pinch-me moment for the 23-year-old, who this time last year was ranked down at 298 and had to make her way through qualifying.
Kartal had started slowly in all her matches and it was the same here, with Pavlyuchenkova, who made her Wimbledon debut back in 2007, moving into a 2-0 lead.
The Russian is a pure ball striker but not as mobile as Kartal, who could take confidence from having beaten a similar type of player in Jelena Ostapenko in the opening round.
She quickly settled into the contest and used her speed and intelligent point construction to edge her way into the lead with a run of three games in a row, despite heavy strapping on her right knee.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova celebrates her victory (Adam Davy/PA)
The crowd, which included another raft of sporting figures in the Royal Box plus Kartal's doubles partner Jodie Burrage in her box, responded with a roar, but Pavlyuchenkova is a very experienced campaigner and she pounded her opponent's second serve to get back on level terms.
The contest could not have been more finely balanced when technology became the third player.
It appeared the blunder might cost the Russian the set, but Kartal could not convert a set point and a determined Pavlyuchenkova was the stronger player in the tie-break.
The set took 68 minutes, and the early stages of the second saw Pavlyuchenkova begin to take control.
Kartal tried to find a way back into the contest but Pavlyuchenkova was ultimately too strong, the Russian clinching victory with her 36th winner.