Sonay Kartal’s dream Wimbledon run is over, halted in the fourth round at the hands of a dogged Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
In what was a rock-solid performance, in the face of great controversy too, the Russian never gave her opponent a chance, particularly after she narrowly claimed the tight first set.
Her groundstrokes were lethal and precise, and despite her work ethic, Sonay Kartal just could not keep up. That was, despite Pavlyuchenkova being left frustrated at the failure of hawkeye at a crucial juncture in the match.
For Kartal, this clash was a step too far after three magical wins beforehand.
Alas, she should not leave the All-England Club disappointed, as this has been a huge week of competition not just for her confidence, but for her stature within the game and her rankings going forward.
Now, she will have a new goal heading into this next portion of the season.
Sonay Kartal reacts to her Wimbledon run
Going into this Grand Slam, which she gained entry for on her own merit after an impressive 12 months of results, Kartal had earned her spot in the main draw.
However, little was expected of her, as the British number three, behind Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu.
It’s almost ironic that now, after reaching the fourth round, the 23-year-old has actually leapfrogged the former and is within touching distance of Raducanu for that coveted top spot.
And yet, there is no ill feeling between these compatriots, as exemplified through Boulter’s uplifting comment on Kartal’s recent Instagram post.
Whilst she rated her run at Wimbledon, her fellow Brit simply wrote: ‘Just the beginning’. Hopefully, she’s right.
British tennis is in safe hands with the women
Ahead of Wimbledon, it really felt like much of the attention, particularly on the women’s side, focused on Raducanu and Boulter.
After all, the former had just become the new British number one in the lead-up to this Grand Slam, overtaking the latter by just a handful of ranking points.
There was little to separate them, and as such nobody really knew who would go further out of the two of them.
In the end, it was neither of this pair who truly flew the British flag at Wimbledon, but instead Kartal, who soared into the fourth round with some really impressive victories.
Really announcing herself with this Wimbledon performance, she has now joined this race for the British number one, and put herself in a fine position heading into the US hard-court season.
British tennis is in safe hands with this trio, all of whom will push one another to improve. This message of support from Boulter only reinforces their desire for shared success.
