Wimbledon 2025: Kartal looking to ink name in top 50
The British No.3 arrived at the All England Club for her fourth appearance in confident mood, having claimed the biggest win of her career by beating Australian world No.16 Daria Kasatkina at Queen's.
She reached the third round here 12 months ago and, following a sluggish start, was good value for her 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 win over Jelena Ostapenko – a former French Open champion and Wimbledon semi-finalist.
She already has 14 tattoos and hopes to make it 15-love – but only if she can better last year's showing at SW19.
'This is the top win of my career – it's about proving I can compete with the best players in the world, and this shows I can do that,' said Kartal, who had lost her previous match with the Latvian only last week in Eastbourne.
'I left the court with so much more confidence than in the matches I played last year. I would say that I struggle against the big hitters, but I've made a conscious effort this year to play the bigger matches and put myself under the most pressure out on court.
'I knew I wouldn't get the results straight away, but that it would eventually pay off – and that's what happened.
'[Ostapenko] can play unplayable tennis, she can be unreadable at times, so I had to stay with it and take my opportunities when they came. I handled her pace, I served really well, and I couldn't have done too much better. I think I'm playing better than I ever have on grass, so I'm feeling good heading into the second round.
'I put a lot of pressure on myself with family and friends here, but I wanted to deliver on the first day of my home Slam – taking out a seed feels extra special.'
Ostapenko's career highs came nearly a decade ago, but she was still seeded 20th and boasts a remarkable unbeaten 6-0 record against Iga Świątek, a player tipped to go the distance this year.
In a rollercoaster match on a partisan No.3 Court, Kartal came from behind to win the first set, went down tamely in the second, and then surged to a 5-0 lead in the decider.
Ostapenko – with her 'see ball, hit ball' approach to tennis – landed more winners but made double the number of unforced errors.
Kartal also coped well with the near-30-degree temperatures, making this the hottest opening day in Wimbledon history.
But she is from Brighton – the UK's sunniest city.
'It was hot, but I had ice towels and cold drinks – I'm just happy it wasn't raining,' she joked.
'I wasn't really thinking about the weather. I enjoyed every second of being on the court, having that crowd supporting me on every shot. I just felt really at home out there.'
Kartal, 23, will face Viktoriya Tomova in the second round – their first meeting. The 30-year-old Bulgarian has never reached the third round in 17 previous Slam appearances.
There are a record number of Brits in the men's and women's singles this year, and Kartal insisted she felt no pressure being first up – claiming that the longer she can fly under the radar, with the spotlight on Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper, the better.
'My whole career I've felt like I've been left in my own lane – and that suits me fine,' she added.
'I liked being the first Brit up. I hope the other guys can get a bit of motivation from that.'
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