Sonay Kartal steps out of Emma Raducanu's shadow at Wimbledon
Kartal's triumph in the exchange is impressive — but also serves to underline the gulf in achievement that would separate the players as their careers progressed.
While Raducanu hit the giddy heights, becoming a grand slam winner at the age of 18, Kartal's teenage years were plagued by injuries.
But at the age 23, Kartal has overcome her physical problems and is now, of the two British women, she is the favourite to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon on Friday.
And while Raducanu, 22, has earned millions in sponsorship from luxury brands, Kartal is also being hailed as a trendsetter at the All England Club with her throwback 1970s' look.
She steps out of her childhood friend's shadow to play Diane Parry of France in the first match on No 1 Court before Raducanu meets Aryna Sabalenka, the number one seed, on Centre Court.
'We grew up playing each other,' said Kartal, who is now Britain's number three ranked player, two places behind Raducanu. 'I think my earliest memory is maybe under-nines up until under-14s.'
The video shows the two girls playing a 19-shot rally at the National Tennis Centre in 2011. 'We'd be in the same national tournaments and we'd always end up meeting each other in the finals and we'd alternate almost every week who won,' she said.
Raducanu became a darling of the Lawn Tennis Association [LTA] and received support throughout her junior career, particularly through the pro-scholarship programme which she joined in 2018. The LTA also provided her with equipment, coaching and access to facilities.
Kartal said: 'When I was growing up, I kind of did quite a lot of tournaments on my own just because I couldn't afford to pay a coach week in and week out.
'It helped me develop as a teenager, grow up super-fast, made me much more mature, hold myself accountable to a lot of things. My story is a little different to Emma's because I have had some injury problems that have hampered me.'
A wrist problem from the ages of 14 to 17 left her struggling to pick up a racket. This was followed by two abdominal tears.
'I was out quite a lot of years injured as a teenager. I didn't pick up a racquet for a couple years. I was kind of a bit inconsistent as I guess I was going through teenage years. When I was younger, I don't think I really deserved to kind of have the funding to be honest with you. I think I was too inconsistent.
At the age of 19 and after leaving Longhill High School, in Rottingdean, East Sussex, Kartal began receiving LTA financial support. At 5ft 4in she is not tall for a tennis player.
Two months after Raducanu collected £1.8 million for winning the 2021 US Open, Kartal picked up her first major title by winning the £15,000 UK Pro League. It was the title Raducanu won two years earlier.
'I grew up playing Emma, so it proves to me that the dream of making it in tennis is not too far away,' she said. 'There is no jealousy from my end… just a realisation that we can all do it if we push hard and take our chances'.
Kartal was born in Sidcup, Kent, to Clare and Muharrem Kartal and was brought up in Brighton where her father owned two Turkish restaurants.
'They're the most relaxed parents you'll probably ever meet,' she said. 'They just let me decide to do what I loved to do. As long as I gave it my best, they were going to back that 100 per cent.'
Kartal started playing when she was six by following her brother to a training session after an invitation from a coach who ate in their father's restaurant.
She learnt the basics at Pavilion & Avenue Tennis Club, where she still trains. Raducanu has burned through her coaches, but Kartal remains with her original team, including Julie Hobbs, the former British number one, and Ben Reeves, who now accompanies her to most tournaments.
Her baggy top and shorts at Wimbledon are inspired by the urban fashions of the 1970s.
Her choice of apparel has become a talking point amongst tennis purists after Wednesday single's victory over the Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova and another win in the opening ladies doubles match alongside Jodie Anna Burrage.
Adidas describes its London Originals collection featuring the old trefoil logo as paying 'homage to the era-defining style of players including Stan Smith and Billie Jean King, who famously wore the Trefoil on their grass court outfits of the 1970s'.
'I love that they've gone back to the old logo, gone a bit retro,' said Kartal. 'I think it's a super classy look. The baggy top with the tighter shorts I think is a cool look. I've had a lot of compliments. I'm hoping it looks good and it's not just me that feels that.'
Kartal has 14 tattoos. Her favourite is the paw design from her first dog, a golden retriever, and one of the designs is an eagle, which is Kartal in Turkish.
She plans to add another after reaching the third round for a second year. Although she has not decided the design she wants something 'not so obvious, that means Wimbledon, but I'd get something that if you know Wimbledon, you'd know what it is'.
'I'm open to suggestions. If people want to send me their ideas, I will most likely pick one of them and will probably chuck it on somewhere.'
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