‘Show goes on’ – British star Kartal’s rise continues

Wimbledon 2025

Venue: All England Club, June 30 – 13 .

Sonay Kartal’s blistering performance against France’s Diane Parry made it clear that she was a rising star in British tennis and that she would one day surpass her in the fourth round.

The 23-year-old turned on the style after falling behind in the first three games of this match to claim a 6-4, 6-2 victory.

Kartal arrived at her home Grand Slam outside of the top 50 despite ranking 864th in the world three years prior.

And she certainly caught the attention at Wimbledon, beating 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko in the opening round and edging past Viktoriya Tomova in straight sets.

After a slow start, she capitalized on the energy of the vocal home crowd to easily defeat qualifier Parry with some strong serving and potent shots.

Kartal raised her arms and soaked up the acclaim of the crowd, who had been captivated from beginning to end when Parry sent a forehand long to confirm the victory at match point.

It was a “pretty nervy” stage for me, Kartal said, calling it “undoubtedly the biggest and most meaningful stage I’ve played.”

“I really appreciate you guys supporting me every single time,” he said.

In round three, Kartal will face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the world’s top female wrestler, who defeated Naomi Osaka.

Although she was ranked third overall in the world when she arrived here, she may have finished the year as the top-ranked player in the nation thanks to her outstanding performances at Wimbledon, which is an impressive increase for a player who was just outside the top 300 this year.

Kartal’s style at Wimbledon is not just out of the ordinary, with her baggy, retro-fitting clothes, and 14 tattoos also appealing.

The Show Must Go On is one of those tattoos, which is evidenced by her inclusion as the first British woman to advance to the fourth round this year.

After such a strong performance, she might be joined by Raducanu later on Friday, but for those who weren’t aware of Kartal’s exciting talent, they will be there.

Although Parry was undoubtedly not a pushover after beating 12th seed Diana Shnaider in round two, her nervousness may have contributed to her slow start.

However, Kartal was practically unstoppable once she found her rhythm.

Kartal spent the majority of her teenage years self-sufficient, and her path to professional tennis was uneventful. She also missed out on a racquet for two years due to injury.

However, she has attributed the challenging circumstances to her allowing her to mature more quickly, which in turn has enabled the growth of her professional career.

She is now a player to watch at Wimbledon.

She continued, “Even though everyone in this tournament is an unbelievable player, I will still respect that opponent regardless of whether I am playing the world’s top player or the world’s top 300.”