Sonay Kartal’s dream of a Wimbledon fairytale is over for another year, after she lost in the fourth round to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Kartal had enjoyed an impressive run at the championships, outdoing compatriots Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu on her way to the last 16.
The match was marred by controversy, but the Russian kept her cool to advance 7-6 6-4.
After the match, Pavlyuchenkova, who has beaten Naomi Osaka on her way to the quarter-final stage, spoke about the conditions she found herself in on Centre Court.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova thanks the Wimbledon crowd for their ‘great energy’
After her win against Kartal on Sunday afternoon, the Russian spoke to the BBC, noting the ‘great energy’ of the crowd.
She said: “I think my mental toughness actually is getting better. I think I was always a good, very good player. I think that everybody knows that on tour, but I was just crazy in my head, so now it’s getting better and I’m just playing and fighting point by point.
“It was really tough conditions out here today, and I think I’ve managed to stay focused. I want to say thank you guys, but I just want to say thank you for the great energy.
“I think I would be lying if I’m gonna thank you for cheering me on, but, I understand she’s local and that’s, I guess, normal in sport, but anyways, thank you all for coming.”
The Russian also confirmed that she became increasingly determined as the match progressed.
She added: “Well, yes (I was more determined), because I want the first set, so I thought, okay, I won it, so let’s go.
“Then in the second set at the beginning, she brought me back and I thought probably we would split because she was starting to find the rhythm and play really good.
“She was putting a lot of pressure, not missing any balls and just grinding, and I was getting out of breath to be honest sometimes. So, I’m so happy that I stayed determined, like you said, and focused and finished it.”
Remarkably, the Russian’s appearance at the last eight stage is not the first. She made the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2016, marking the elimination of a nine-year absence.
Pavlyuchenkova demonstrates her longevity by matching Wimbledon quarter-final record
Pavlyuchenkova’s victory over Kartal matched a historic standard held by Mary Pierce.
After defeating Sonay Kartal, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is the player with the largest gap between their first two quarter-finals reached in Women’s Singles in Wimbledon in the Open Era, equalling Mary Pierce’s run from 1996 to 2005.
The Russian moves on to face either Czechia’s Linda Noskova or American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova, who was tipped as the ‘favourite’ to make the semi-finals.
If she wins again, the 34-year-old will likely face world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
