Sonay Kartal will next face American superstar Coco Gauff (Picture: Getty)
Sonay Kartal has incredibly booked a spot in the third round of Wimbledon 2024 with a stunning 6-3 5-7 6-3 win over France’s Clara Burel, becoming Britain’s first qualifier to reach that stage of the tournament since 1997.
Kartal, No.298 in the world, who had to progress through qualifying to earn a spot in the singles main draw, shocked 29th-seed Sorana Cirstea in the first round on Monday and has now followed it up with a victory over world No.45 Burel.
The 22-year-old British No.9 will next face American superstar Coco Gauff in the third round – the current US Open champion – who is seeded second at SW19.
Emma Raducanu and Lily Miyazaki, the British No.3 and British No.4, are hoping to join Kartal in the third round with both stars in second-round action today.
Meanwhile, British No.1 Katie Boulter is set for a battle with British No.2 Harriet Dart on Thursday with those two women also looking to follow Kartal into the third round.
The British spectators on the No.3 Court went crazy as Kartal clinched the first set 6-3 to edge towards the victory.
Kartal even raced into a 3-0 lead in the second set to put one foot in the third round but her French opponent battled back to take it 7-5 and force a decider
The British player refused to give up – and after digging extremely deep in the third set – she took it 6-3 as the adoring home crowd exploded with excitement.
‘Ole, ole, ole, ole, Sonay, Sonay,’ her team chanted as Kartal conjured up the biggest win of her career.
‘Today is a really special day for me,’ an emotional Kartal said in her on-court interview as she then posed for pictures with spectators.
Kartal could also not hide the huge smile on her face when asked about her upcoming showdown with world No.2 Gauff.
‘It’s going to be a tough match, a fun match,’ Kartal added, who was born in London and resides in Brighton.
Kartal has pocketed £63,000 for winning her second-round match and has produced her best performance at her home Grand Slam after first-round exits in 2022 and 2023.