
Sonay Kartal open to suggestions over her next tattoo after reaching third round
Kartal has a large collection of tattoos and is planning to add another after the end of the tournament, with the British number three calling on fans to help her choose.
'I'm open to suggestions,' she said. 'If people throw me some good ideas, I will definitely consider them – 90 per cent I would end up going with one of those ideas.'
The heat of the first two days was replaced by morning rain, delaying the start of play for two hours.
Tomova, a 30-year-old ranked 111 who has never been beyond the second round of a slam, profited from the retirement of Ons Jabeur in her first match and for five games she tested Kartal.
But, once the British number three – who claimed her best grand slam victory in round one against Jelena Ostapenko on the same court – was able to exploit Tomova's limitations in movement, Kartal pulled away, breaking for 4-2 and going on an eight-game winning run.
Super Sonay does it in style 💥
Sonay Kartal defeats Viktoriya Tomova 6-2, 6-2 to reach the third round for the second year in a row 💪#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/YnblD2AdHd
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2025
Tomova turned to her support camp in exasperation early in the second set, at a loss as to how to find a hole in the rock solid game of her opponent.
Kartal had a slight wobble at 4-0, losing two games in a row, but she wrapped up victory after only 67 minutes and will now try to break new ground by making the fourth round at a slam for the first time.
'That match today was a very clean match from me,' she said. 'I don't think I did much wrong at all. I was seeing it really well. I felt confident. I feel like I was playing really aggressive tennis. Did exactly what me and the coach wanted to go out and do. So very happy with the performance today.'
Kartal appears to have a great chance of going further with another unseeded opponent next in French qualifier Diane Parry.
She is taking pride at having backed up last year's run, and proving to herself that her heavy topspin game can give her major opportunities on grass as well as the other surfaces.
'I think having a home slam, I think that's one arena I really want to perform well in front of the people that mean the most to me, friends and family and everyone,' she said.
'Also, it's a surface that doesn't really come naturally to me. I have to really think and adapt my game style, which I think is also going to help me develop beyond this tournament as well.
'I have to be really aggressive. That's something I need to do to get better at in my game outside of Wimbledon. I think if I can be aggressive on grass, I can prove to myself that I can do it and I can do it against the best players.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South Wales Guardian
23 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Lewis Hamilton ‘hoping and praying' to return to podium at British Grand Prix
Hamilton has a remarkable record at his home race, winning a record nine times at Silverstone. He has also finished in the top three in all of his last 11 appearances here. However, the seven-time world champion has not landed a podium in Ferrari colours – a streak of 11 races – the deepest into the season he has ever gone without a top-three finish. Dazzling ✨#F1 #BritishGP @LewisHamilton — Formula 1 (@F1) July 3, 2025 Hamilton ended his two-and-a-half-year losing streak with a famous victory at Silverstone last season, and speaking ahead of Sunday's race, Hamilton said: 'I am hoping and praying. 'There is always magic here at Silverstone. It is a very, very special race and I am hoping all sorts of things can help us because we are not as quick as McLaren. If it stays dry they will walk the race. 'I don't look at those (podium) statistics so it is not something that affects me or I think about. But we are here at Silverstone and what better place to change that run so that is what we are working towards. 'I cannot wait for Friday. Driving a Ferrari at Silverstone for the first time will be special and unique in its own way. We have the best fans here, and for a British driver they really do make a difference. I have shown that to you time and time again so I hope this weekend they really make the difference for us.' Hamilton finished fourth, a place behind team-mate Charles Leclerc at the previous round in Austria. During the race, Hamilton aired his frustration with Ferrari after they pulled him in for a tyre change against his wishes. Hamilton continued: 'The team's view is that they wanted to secure third and fourth which is totally fine, but I am not here to start fourth and finish fourth. 'I am racing for every little bit we can gain. They had us on the same strategy. I never want to do the same as my team-mate, ever. 'I said I don't want to get to a point where I am ignoring you. We are working on our conversation. We are still getting to know each other and how we operate so that was all understood.'


South Wales Guardian
24 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Emma Raducanu takes tips from men's number one ahead of facing Aryna Sabalenka
After training for 70 minutes at Wimbledon's Aorangi Park practice courts on Thursday afternoon, Raducanu sat with coach Mark Petchey and observed Jannik Sinner's warm-up session. Raducanu has been making an effort to pay closer to attention to the skills of her fellow players, saying: 'I'm trying to learn by osmosis. He (Sinner) is so effortless when he hits the ball.' Trying to squeeze everything she can out of her Wimbledon experience this year has been a theme of the 22-year-old's run so far, with Raducanu overjoyed about her performance in beating former champion Marketa Vondrousova on Wednesday. While she can never go back to the carefree teenager she was prior to her US Open triumph, she appears to be finding a balance that allows her to enjoy the journey while pushing for the best destination she can. The British number one is also clearly relishing having people she trusts in her corner, with Petchey, who first helped her remodel her serve back in 2020, accompanied on the practice court by Raducanu's friend and mentor Jane O'Donoghue. O'Donoghue left her coaching career to work in finance but has taken a sabbatical from her job to help Raducanu out in tournaments around the world. A post shared by @emmaraducanu In the stands, meanwhile, are a group of Raducanu's friends from childhood, many of whom live in the United States but who use Wimbledon for a reunion each summer. 'I was out there with my friends,' said Raducanu after beating Vondrousova in one of her best performances at the All England Club. 'It's so rad. I have all of them here in one place. They've been my rock through everything. They're the closest people to me outside of my family. That was really special. 'I had the same sort of routine last year. I just really cherish these moments because we know how hard it is week to week playing on the tour. 'When we're here in this sort of environment feeling at home, it's so special. I think it's important to take it in. You don't know the next day how it's going to go.' Taking on Sabalenka is the ultimate challenge in women's tennis at the moment, with the Belarusian holding a dominant lead at the top of the rankings and bidding to reach a fourth grand slam final in a row. Raducanu looked relaxed in practice, drilling service returns in preparation for what will be a barrage of pace coming at her. They have played once before, in Indian Wells last spring, when Sabalenka won in straight sets but in a close enough contest to give Raducanu encouragement. The top seed has been tested in her first two matches, while the home crowd on Centre Court will play their part as well. 'Emma is playing much better tennis since last year, I have to say,' said Sabalenka. 'She improved. You can see that she's getting back on track. Also facing British at Wimbledon, I'm not sure I prefer that.' Finding the right balance between attack and defence will be key for Raducanu, who said: 'I definitely think playing Aryna, she's number one in the world for a reason. 'You can't really do nothing or give nothing balls to her. I'm going to have to be aggressive but pick my moments and not kind of be overly (aggressive). I think you can fall into that trap, too. 'I don't think I'm going to go out there and out-power her. I think I'm going to have to try and be creative, as well.' Raducanu is one of three British players who will play third-round matches on Friday, with Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie both taking to Court One. Kartal, who is bidding to reach the last 16 at a slam for the first time, faces French qualifier Diane Parry while Norrie's reward for knocking out Frances Tiafoe is a meeting with unseeded Italian Mattia Bellucci.

Rhyl Journal
24 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Stars return to Royal Box as Wimbledon welcomes back the sunshine
Blue skies and 24C temperatures returned to the All England Club after a soggy Wednesday, with fans quick to swap ponchos for sunhats and take advantage of ideal conditions on court. Among the guests in the Royal Box were adventurer Bear Grylls, broadcaster Sir Chris Bryant and actor Rory Kinnear. Former Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden and comedian Clive Anderson were also spotted taking in the action on Centre Court. Musician-turned-environmentalist Feargal Sharkey was seated alongside Dutch tennis legend Betty Stove, who turned 80 in April and famously reached three Wimbledon finals in 1977. They were joined by a host of sporting figures including former England rugby coach Sir Clive Woodward, Olympic sprinter Donna Fraser, and incoming Lawn Tennis Association chairman William Jackson. Prince Michael of Kent led the royal contingent. The stars were there to see Novak Djokovic face off against British Dan Evans on Centre Court, before Iga Swiatek takes on American qualifier Caty McNally. Top seed Jannik Sinner took on Aleksandar Vukic of Australia on No 1 Court, followed by Mirra Andreeva's match against Italy's Lucia Bronzetti. Later in the day, Maria Sakkari is scheduled to play 2022 champion Elena Rybakina, and British hope Jack Draper will face former US Open winner Marin Cilic.