British players make history on magical Monday at Wimbledon

Leader Live

6 hours ago

The trio were among seven home players to record victories at the All England Club, the best tally on any day of the championships in the open era.
The best was saved for last as Boulter took out ninth seed Paula Badosa 6-2 3-6 6-4 on Centre Court, with Britain's top two women both through after Emma Raducanu comfortably defeated compatriot Mimi Xu.
British number three Kartal and wild card Fery saw off the respective women's and men's 20th seeds, with the former ousting Jelena Ostapenko 7-5 2-6 6-2 and the latter defeating Alexei Popyrin 6-4 6-1 4-6 6-4.
For Fery, it is by a long distance the biggest victory of his life, with the 22-year-old only once having beaten a top-100 player before.
Fery, whose French father Loic owns Lorient football club, has seen his ranking drop outside the top 400 but he made a mockery of that with a treasured first Wimbledon victory.
Fery, who lives down the road, lost to Daniil Medvedev on his debut two years ago and then heartbreakingly in five sets against Daniel Altmaier last summer.
BIGGEST WIN OF ARTHUR FERY'S CAREER!!! 🔥 @ArthurFery02 fights through to the @Wimbledon second round for the very first time, taking down the No. 20 seed Alexei Popyrin#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/NrX6gLdTuW
— LTA (@the_LTA) June 30, 2025
'I think I used the experience from last year to get over the line today,' he said. 'Last year was really tough to lose in that manner. So definitely very proud and very special moment today to win here.'
Kartal reached the third round as a qualifier 12 months ago but her hopes of another good run appeared to have been dealt a blow when she drew seasoned grass-court campaigner Ostapenko in round one.
The Latvian is a former semi-finalist and beat Kartal in Eastbourne last week but, after recovering from 5-2 down in the opening set and saving three set points, the 23-year-old also proved the stronger in the decider.
It is Kartal's third best win by ranking of her career and her best at a grand slam.
She described the match as one of the toughest she had ever played, saying: 'Typically I struggle against the big hitters. So to be able to do that, get the win in front of the home crowd, I'm super proud of that one.
'I feel confident. I feel like this is the best I've ever played on grass. It's the most confident I've also got in my game, as well. I think I'm in a pretty good spot for round two.'
Kartal's win was swiftly followed by another notable British success, this time for debutant Oliver Tarvet, who made it four victories in a row after coming through qualifying with a 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over Swiss Leandro Riedi to earn a crack at Carlos Alcaraz.
Former British number one Cameron Norrie claimed his first win on grass this year with a narrow 6-3 3-6 6-4 7-6 (3) victory over Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut.
Norrie rediscovered his form on clay after almost dropping out of the top 100 and will next take on 12th seed Frances Tiafoe.
'I wanted to enjoy like a kid playing Wimbledon again,' said Norrie. 'I was not thinking I was British number one or British number two. I was there to play and enjoy the match.
'I've been playing well, feeling the ball good. It was time to just compete. He's one of the toughest guys to compete against, so I really had to earn the win today and earn the competitive certificate against him.'
Big WIN for @cam_norrie at @Wimbledon 🙌
Cam beats an in-form Bautista Agut to move into the second round#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/1Tm79V2KuK
— LTA (@the_LTA) June 30, 2025
The final British winner was Billy Harris, who took advantage of a change of opponent to claim a comprehensive 6-3 6-2 6-4 victory over lucky loser Dusan Lajovic for his first grand slam success.
The world number 151 had been due to play former semi-finalist Hubert Hurkacz before he withdrew.
Seven home players suffered first-round losses, with British number two Jacob Fearnley the major disappointment after going down in straight sets to hot Brazilian prospect Joao Fonseca.
Harriet Dart, debutant Oliver Crawford, former boys' champion Henry Searle and 16-year-olds Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic also exited the tournament.