Latest news with #BritishNo3
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brit Sonay Kartal upsets Jelena Ostapenko in Wimbledon first round
Six days after Grand Slam champion Jelena Ostapenko beat Sonay Kartal at Eastbourne, the British No. 3 got revenge in the best possible way. Kartal recorded a shock Wimbledon victory over her seeded opponent at the All England Club, beating Ostapenko 7-5, 2-6, 6-2. The 23-year-old established herself on the grass courts of SW19 last year, when she got to the third round while ranked No. 298 in the world. That year she went out to Coco Gauff. The early signs this year show that Kartal is once again well up for putting on a show in front of her home crowd, and a run in the tournament could see her break into the world's top 50. Advertisement In the unforgiving heat, Kartal restricted Ostapenko's trademark, flat-hitting power to impose her own tricky game on the Latvian, holding firm in some nervy moments to earn one of her most impressive career victories to date. 'That was one of the toughest matches I have played. I struggle against the big hitters, she beat me easily last week,' Kartal said courtside. 'Thank you to everyone for coming out. 'After the year I had last year, I am happy to put myself under pressure to succeed. Last year I left this tournament feeling a different player. I want to see how far I can go this week.' Kartal immediately fell a break behind in the opening set, going 5-2 and then 5-4 down. With Ostapenko holding three set points for the opener, the Brit clawed her way back into contention. With the momentum on her side, Kartal charged ahead, claiming another break and holding to 15 for the set. Advertisement Ostapenko responded well, romping to parity by taking the second set within 33 minutes. Two straightforward breaks were enough to level the match, seemingly putting herself in pole position to come from a set down. But Ostapenko, who twisted her ankle ahead of Wimbledon and was a doubt until late into last week, could not regain her footing. Kartal instead dominated the third set, securing three consecutive breaks to put herself in a near insurmountable position. Serving for a bagel set, she appeared to let the pressure show as she was broken to 15 in a nervy-looking few moments. But despite Ostapenko's subsequent hold, the No. 20 seed could not prevent the Brit from sealing the match on serve. The jubilant crowd on the No. 2 Court jumped to their feet following the first British success story of the tournament. Kartal's victory over Daria Kasatkina at Queen's earlier this month represented just her second win over top-20 opposition, and while Ostapenko is ranked just one place outside that category, it represents a big scalp for the Brit. Viktoriya Tomova now stands in the way of Kartal's matching last year's breakthrough Wimbledon run. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Tennis, Women's Tennis 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Sonay Kartal knocks out Jelena Ostapenko in biggest victory of her Wimbledon career
Sonay Kartal secured the biggest victory of her Wimbledon career by knocking out big-hitting former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. The British No 3 gained revenge for a straight sets defeat by Ostapenko in Eastbourne last week and in doing so became the first British player through to the second round, via a 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 victory. Kartal was a picture of calm on Court No 3 despite the high temperatures that the start of this year's Championships is experiencing, never taking too long between points and cutting a quiet figure on the court. It was not until a big fist pump when her victory over the Latvian was confirmed that there was any outward display of emotion. 'That was by far one of the toughest matches I've played. I would say that I struggle against the big hitters, so getting that win today after her beating me last week was great,' Kartal said after she secured her place in the second round for a successive year. '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 that I wouldn't get the results straight away but that it would eventually pay off, and that's what happened today.' Ostapenko found the match difficult, and was unable to sustain her highest level. At the start of the second set, having lost five games in a row as Kartal clinched the first, she paused after throwing the ball up before serving. She also told spectators to be quiet, then turned to the umpire to complain before uttering a loud 'Shhhh' in the direction of the apparent offenders. While the reaction was vocal, it sparked her into impressive form in the second set, although she could not sustain it. It was Wimbledon last year that lifted Kartal's professional career to a new level. Starting the 2024 tournament ranked No 298 in the world, before an impressive run to the third round as a qualifier. This year she has established herself as the British No 3 and reached top 50 in the world, already surpassing her own target of top 50 before the end of 2025. She is currently ranked 51. Only two weeks ago, Katie Boulter said she expected Kartal to surpass her in the world rankings after the two came up against each other at Nottingham, where Boulter won in three sets. It was a difficult start to the match for Kartal, who was three games behind without getting onto the scoreboard, but she fought back bravely from 0-3 and 2-5 down, winning five games in a row to take the first set. In the second, Ostapenko raised her level and showed her experience but she could not sustain it into the decider. As the crowd grew louder in support of the home favourite, Latvian Ostapenko faded as Kartal gained an extra gear with her movement around the court while still hitting impressive shots down the line.
Times
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Times
Katie Boulter overcomes heat to beat Sonay Kartal at Nottingham Open
Katie Boulter is on home territory at the Nottingham Open, returning to courts she has played on since childhood, but even the British No2 was surprised at the problems posed by temperatures of 28C as she battled to a 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 victory over Sonay Kartal. She was less surprised by the stiff challenge posed by Kartal, the upwardly mobile British No3 who has risen rapidly up the rankings in the past year. Although grass is not her favoured surface, she forced Boulter to dig deep to keep alive her hopes of a third consecutive victory in this tournament. After Boulter had moved smoothly through the first set, Kartal hit back to dominate the second and build a 4-2 lead in the third. But Boulter kept her cool and rediscovered her rhythm, with the help of a few ice towels and the local support, putting pressure back on Kartal's serve, edging a compelling contest that lasted 2hr 26min, sapping the energy of both players.
