Sonay Kartal is living the dream at Wimbledon heading into her third-round match against No. 2 seed Coco Gauff on Friday.
The 22-year-old became the second British women's qualifier and the first since 1997 to make the third round after defeating Clara Burel and seeks an upset against the so-far perfect American, who dispatched Anca Todoni in Wednesday's second-round match.
Match preview
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Not given a prayer before the tournament proper, Kartel has impressed with her admirable history-matching run at the Championships.
The qualifier has shown she can win in different ways in her run to the third round, forcing a turnaround in the tournament-opening 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 success against Sorana Cirstea and recovering from the setback of being pegged back against Burel to clinch a 6-3 5-7 6-3 win in round two.
She faces the most daunting prospect of all against the No. 2 seed, aiming to cause one of the resounding shocks at Wimbledon against her American opponent.
Having emulated Karen Cross's 1997 feat of reaching the third round as a qualifier, Kartal is enjoying her finest run at the All England Club following first-round exits in the previous two years.
It remains to be seen if the 22-year-old stuns Gauff on Friday, but she hopes to play without fear against the undoubted favourite.
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The American aims to avoid complacency against her British opponent while dealing with the pressure of being tipped by observers to possibly make the final following a raft of pre-tournament withdrawals and early exits to potential threats.
Gauff dispatched countrywoman Caroline Dolehide 6-1, 6-2 in a comprehensive first-round win before following that with a 6-2 6-1 triumph over Wimbledon debutant Todoni, rising above fears that the Romanian qualifier could cause last year's US Open champion problems with her aggressive shot-making.
While the No. 2 seed intermittently seemed unhappy with her level in Wednesday's second-round success, she hopes for an improved performance against one of the interesting home success stories at the Championships in the women's draw allied with a potentially partisan crowd on Friday.
With last year's first-round shock exit to Sofia Kenin behind her, Gauff heads into her third-round match seeking to continue her ongoing momentum on the lawns of Wimbledon.
Having barely crossed an hour in her opening match and following the same pattern against Todoni, America's top-ranked player is tipped to continue in that vein against the British qualifier.
Tournament so far
Sonay Kartal:
First round: vs. Sorana Cirstea 3-6 6-2 6-0
Second round: vs. Clara Burel 6-3 5-7 6-3
Coco Gauff:
First round: vs. Caroline Dolehide 6-1 6-2
Second round: vs. Anca Todoni 6-2 6-1
Head To Head
Both players lock horns for the first time on the WTA Tour on Friday, with Gauff favoured to eliminate her British opponent.
Including qualifying, Kartal is on a five-match winning streak on grass, and the underdog aims to make that six on Friday.
The British qualifier has mostly played on the ITF circuit in 2024, with intermittent matches on the main tour, claiming 20 wins from 25 matches. Even though Kartal's 80% win rate before Wimbledon betters Gauff's 76% (32 victories from 42), the American playing a higher level of opponent all year adds much-needed context to that statistic.
We say: Gauff to win in two sets
While Gauff is no stranger to shock losses, underscored by last year's defeat by Kenin, the American is expected to make light work of her British opponent, whose commendable run at the All England Club could end in the third round.
Both players undoubtedly have momentum, but the No. 2 seed's expertise and relative on-court experience of playing in front of energetic crowds should see her claim another victory.
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