SONAY KARTAL PUTS IN STUNNING PERFORMANCE TO SET UP THIRD ROUND TIE AGAINST COCO GAUFF AT WIMBLEDON AFTER BEATING WORLD NO 45 CLARA BUREL - AS HER CHILDHOOD RIVAL EMMA RADUCANU ALSO PROGRESSES

• Sonay Kartal made it through to round three after beating Clara Burel 6-3 5-7 6-3
• Kartal, world No 298, has set up a plum third round tie against Coco Gauff 
• Fellow Brit Henry Patten made it through to the second round in the doubles

In the hours after her fairytale of New York and US Open triumph, a video did the rounds on social media of a nine-year-old Emma Raducanu in a rally. Blistering backhands, ferocious forehands, deft drop shots – the sort that saw her upset the odds at Flushing Meadows.

But the ball just kept coming back. The girl at the other end of the court that day at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton was Sonay Kartal, who won that 19-shot point – and ultimately triumphed many more times on the junior circuit against her good friend Raducanu.

The pair are still close but are stratospheres apart in terms of public consciousness. 

While cover star of umpteen magazines Raducanu has 2.5million Instagram ‘followers’, for example, Kartal has in the region of 5,000.

If you check that figure this evening, it probably has changed as Kartal recorded the biggest win of her career to become the first British woman to reach the Wimbledon third round as a qualifier since 1997.

In beating French world No 45 Clara Burel, she guaranteed a paycheck of at least £143,000 for the tournament. Not bad for three days’ work, one might think, though it must be said her SW19 did not kick off on Monday like most of the Brits.

While 12 of the 19 home hopefuls were here on a wildcard, Kartal was forced to qualify. She had never beaten a top-100 player until last Thursday, and even then her win was against No 99 Erika Andreeva.

But now Kartal is aiming for the stars. ‘These are the moments you dream of as a little kid,’ said the 22-year-old from Brighton who had genuine fears she might not be on the tour this year due to a health scare. She played just two tournaments between September and April.

‘To be able to do it with the people that were backing me right from the start and when I was ill… it's something that personally I'm super proud of. It was a scary time. I didn't let that bother me at all.

‘(The money) will propel me into playing the bigger tournaments and be on the bigger stage, which is what I want to be doing at the end of the day. I've got a couple birthdays coming up in the family. I think they're a little bit happy that I won today!’

Of course, Kartal is talking about the financial bonus there – but this win was about much more. Her parents, including a mum who consistently pinged her daughter’s phone with calls during her press duties and dad who is a self-confessed Roger Federer nut, have been ever-present.

‘They have dedicated their life for me to try and achieve a dream. They're the most relaxed parents you'll probably ever meet. They never pushed me into doing anything (she also played football and cricket). As long as I gave it my best, they were going to back that 100 per cent.’

Like young Brit Jacob Fearnley on Tuesday, who recorded his best-ever win to set up a meeting with the great Novak Djokovic, Kartal would have gulped when reminded of her next opponent: world No 2, US Open champion and Wimbledon fan favourite Coco Gauff.

‘It's going to be a super tough match,’ added Kartal with a large scoop of understatement, after Gauff eased to victory with a 6-2, 6-1 win over qualifier Anca Todoni yesterday. ‘There's a reason why she is No 2 in the world. I have nothing to lose, I'm just going to enjoy the moment.’

Regardless of the outcome against Gauff, a match which is likely to get a strong billing on Centre Court, Kartal will bask in the glory of this fine win.

She took the first set convincingly, blew a few chances in the second but then regained focus for the decider to win 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

Kartal has a number of tattoos over her body – she described most as ‘pretty random’ – and one is a symbol of bravery, which perfectly sums up her year. The ink shops of Brighton might be in business for another sitting to mark this heroic run.

Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu brushed aside Elise Mertens at Wimbledon to reach the third round of a grand slam for the first time since her US Open triumph.

Back on Court One for the first time since her breakthrough run to the fourth round here three years ago ahead of that historic New York fortnight, Raducanu seized control from the start and raced to a 6-1 6-2 victory.

In 2021, the occasion was ultimately too much for the then teenager and she retired with breathing difficulties against Ajla Tomljanovic.

Raducanu has lived a veritable lifetime of experiences since then, many of them negative, but has had a smile plastered on her face at the All England Club this year and appears finally at ease with her place in the sport.

If she can maintain the form she showed against Belgian Mertens, ranked one place outside the seedings at 33, she could yet do some serious damage in this tournament.

Many of the games were close but, on the key points, it was Raducanu who came up with the moments of magic, be that a precision lob, a knifed drop shot or the sort of searing groundstrokes with which she made her name.

Playing under the roof on a grey, drizzly day, Raducanu lit up Court One with a run of five games in a row to start the match.

She broke the Mertens serve in the second game with a drop shot that her opponent, the world number one in doubles and a former Australian Open semi-finalist, could only net.

Raducanu then saved a break point to make it 3-0 and broke again with a forehand pass on to the sideline. Mertens finally got on the scoreboard to prevent a love set but Raducanu withstood more pressure to maintain her momentum, clinching it with a big serve.

When 28-year-old Mertens recovered from 0-40 in the opening game of the second set, it could have been a crucial moment, but Raducanu simply raised her level even higher.

A backhand pass drilled beyond Mertens gave her the break for 2-1, and from there she did not look back, bouncing to the net in jubilation after her opponent's final return drifted long.

'I feel so, so welcome here,' said Raducanu. 'Court One is my favourite court. I think I played some really good tennis today, I'm really pleased. I'm over the moon to be playing here and just to extend my stay by one more day.

'I knew all the hard yards and the hard work I've been doing would lead to something and I'm just so happy to reap some of the rewards in Wimbledon.'

However, a patched-up Dan Evans was sent packing in the first round at Wimbledon by 24th seed Alejandro Tabilo.

British number three Evans was a doubt for the Championships after injuring his knee slipping on the grass at Queen's Club.

The 34-year-old, wearing heavy strapping on his right knee, successfully lobbied to have the match halted on Tuesday evening, insisting the surface was unsafe.

'I've already been hurt on a wet court this season,' he complained to a supervisor, adding: 'You don't care about the players.'

Play resumed on Wednesday afternoon with Evans trailing by a set, and level at 3-3 in the second.

He was immediately up against it, and needed an ace to prevent Tabilo taking a first set point.

But the serve which got him out of trouble put him back in it in the next game as two double-faults gifted Tabilo the set.

Tabilo went on to wrap up a 6-2 7-5 6-3 victory to reach the second round for the first time.

Elsewhere, fellow Brit Henry Patten made it through to the second round in the doubles.

Playing alongside Finnish star Harri Heliovaara, the pair beat Italians Pedro Martinez and Jaume Munar 6-3 6-4.

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2024-07-03T15:42:19Z dg43tfdfdgfd