Sonay Kartal landed a dream third-round date with US Open champion Coco Gauff and vowed to celebrate by getting a tattoo with her tournament winnings.
The British number nine belied her world ranking of 298 as she pulled off a shock win over France’s Clara Bunel to become the second woman to reach the last-32 at Wimbledon as a qualifier in the Open Era, and first since Karen Cross in 1997.
The 22-year-old will pick up a cheque for £143,000 for her 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 triumph over Bunel – which equates to more than half of her entire career earnings – and indicated she would use the money to get another tattoo.
“There will probably be a bet in place with my coach,” said Kartal, who has several inked designs over her body, including one her wrist which symbolises bravery.
“He also has tattoos, he’s pretty covered. There’s always a joke in the slams that we play if I reach certain rounds there will be something. Despite the outcome, whatever it is, I think there could be one potentially.”
It marks a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for Kartal, who earlier this year was struggling with undisclosed health issues and feared her season was over.
“To be able to do it with the people that were backing me right from the start when I was ill, it’s something that personally I’m super proud of,” said Kartal, who was Emma Raducanu’s rival as a junior. “It was a scary time. I didn’t let that bother me at all.”
It was a courageous display from Kartal, who took control of a decisive fifth game in the third set after Bunel had clawed her way back into the contest after going a set and a double break down.
The Brighton-based player rounded off in style, too, landing a deft volley at the net to earn a standing ovation from a packed Court 3 and could be afforded billing on one of Wimbledon’s main show courts against American powerhouse Gauff.
Kartal has dreamed of making her Centre Court debut since she was seven, when she watched her idol Roger Federer on a family trip to Wimbledon.
Wherever she is placed, she plans to relish her underdog tag against Gauff. “I’ve got nothing to lose,” said Kartal. “I’m just going to enjoy the moment and give it everything and see what I can do.”
Day three up to now: As it happened...
04:53 PM BST
Bye for now...
Right, this blog is now being wrapped up, you will be able to read a report about Kartal’s heroics above soon.
In the meantime, pls follow our live coverage of Raducanu vs Mertens here.
04:40 PM BST
‘Muller with a naughty underarm serve’
Daniil Medvedev hoping to get this wrapped up quickly against Alexandre Muller, although a surprise double fault when up 40-0 just now drew a shocked reaction from the crowd inside Centre Court.
This match has already been going for nearly three hours after two tie-breaks in the first two sets. Has Muller... just caught Medvedev out with a naughty underarm serve? Believe he has, finishing the point with a lob.
04:36 PM BST
Job done for the defending champ
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz breezed through to the third round after sealing a straight sets win over Aleksandar Vukic.
The Spanish big hitter was forced to weather an early storm in a competitive first set and required a tie-break to see off his Australian opponent, who initially put up fierce resistance.
A double fault from Vukic and two winners from Alcaraz saw the Spaniard establish a healthy advantage in the second set and from there it was one-way traffic, coming through 7-6, 6-2 6-2.
04:18 PM BST
Kartal reacts
Today is a really special day for me. To have people out there who have been with me since I was six. Monday was a high and now I have topped that today.
I just tried to put everything behind me [after losing second set]. When I needed the crowd the most they helped me in that third set. I owe that to you guys today.”
On facing Coco Gauff next:
It’s going to be a tough match, it’s going to be a fun match and I hope I can do the British crowd proud.
04:07 PM BST
Never mind the General Election, the Murray brothers play on Thursday
Confirmation that Jamie and Andy Murray will play their first round doubles match on Centre Court tomorrow.
They are last on the schedule after Jacob Fearnley vs Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek vs Petra Martic.
On Court 1, it’s the Battle of Britain as Katie Boulter vs Harriet Dart opens play before Jack Draper vs Cameron Norrie.
The last time a first round men’s doubles match was scheduled and played on Centre Court was back in 1995 when Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde defeated Ken Flach and Robert Seguso.
03:55 PM BST
Landmark moment for Kartal
British qualifier Sonay Kartal pulled off a shock win over France’s Clara Burel to set up a third-round meeting with US Open champion Coco Gauff.
The 22-year-old produced the biggest performance of her career on Court 3 as she powered to a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Burel, who is ranked 153 places above her.
Kartal, whose tennis at times belied her world ranking of 198, becomes the second woman to reach the third round at Wimbledon as a qualifier in the Open Era, and first since Karen Cross in 1997.
She will pick up a cheque for £143,000 for her efforts - which equates to more than half of her entire career earnings - and could make her Centre Court debut when she meets American powerhouse Gauff next.
It marks a dramatic turnaround in fortunes for Kartal, who earlier this year was struggling with undisclosed health issues and feared her season was over.
“I had a couple of health issues at the start of this year,” she said in March. “Pretty serious. I won’t go into the detail but I didn’t think I’d be on tour this year,” she said.
Burel looked out of the contest after trailing a set and a double break down, but fought back in a tense second set before Kartal held her nerve to triumph in a gutsy decider.
The perfect way to win a match!
Sonay Kartal is the first women's British qualifier to reach the third round at #Wimbledon since 1997. #BBCTennis pic.twitter.com/QYBJsYAy0o
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 3, 2024
03:47 PM BST
So much happening right now
Feels like Wimbledon has come alive, shock results and scores all over the place.
Kartal leads Burel 5-3 in the third set
Medvedev has levelled the score on Centre against Muller, winning a second set tiebreak.
Tiafoe knocks out Coric 7-6, 6-1, 6-3
And there’s still Osaka, Raducanu and Sinner still to come.
03:41 PM BST
Alcaraz comes through long first set
The defending champion wins a thrilling first set 7-6(5) against Aleksandar Vukic 🇪🇸#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/dSLNRF4UuF
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2024
03:31 PM BST
Latest results
Men’s Singles - First Round
Quentin Halys, France, def. Christopher Eubanks, United States, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
Men’s Singles - Second Round
Brandon Nakashima, United States, def. Jordan Thompson, Australia, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
Women’s Singles - First Round
Jule Niemeier, Germany, def. Viktorija Golubic, Switzerland, 6-2, 6-1.
Camila Osorio, Colombia, def. Lauren Davis, United States, 6-3, 6-1.
Katie Volynets, United States, def. Maria Carle, Argentina, 6-2, 7-5.
Beatriz Haddad Maia (20), Brazil, def. Magdalena Frech, Poland, 7-5, 6-3.
Women’s Singles - Second Round
Coco Gauff (2), United States, def. Anca Alexia Todoni, Romania, 6-2, 6-1
03:27 PM BST
Another upset alert
Eighth seed Casper Ruud is in big trouble against Fabio Fognini.
The Norweigan is another who isn’t a fan of the grass but it is still a big shock to see him 6-4, 7-5, 3-2 down on Court 2.
03:12 PM BST
‘Kartal forced into decider’
Kartal showed some huge bravery there in saving four set points to keep herself alive in that second set at 5-5.
But in Kartal’s next service game, Burel finally gets it done and breaks to 15 with a volley winner.
Game on!
02:59 PM BST
Tiafoe in control against Coric
Out on Court 18, the American 29th seed leads 7-6, 4-1. If he wins this, he could set up a third-round match with Alcaraz.
02:44 PM BST
Upset alert on Centre
It is well known that Medvedev doesn’t like the grass and at the moment he is struggling.
The fifth-seeded Russian is 7-6, 3-0 down to Alexandre Muller of France.
02:28 PM BST
Gauff 6-2, 6-1 Todoni
Game, set and match for the American and a standing ovation as she needs just 66 minutes to beat Todoni and reach the third round.
She is one to watch for sure in this tournament.
I never look at the draws, I only pay attention to who I play in the first and then the next match. At the end of the day, you have to get through that before you play the next. Obviously, I know about some of the withdrawals that have happened and it’s very unfortunate and it’s a long season so I wish all the players who had to withdraw to be back soon.
Coco in cruise control on the way to a second round win 😎
The No.2 seed advances with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Todoni.#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/qYeoVnL41E
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2024
02:16 PM BST
‘Kartal strikes first’
British qualifier Sonay Kartal is leading the first set 5-2 against France’s Clara Burel on Court 3 and has nabbed the first break of the match! Kartal, the world 298, is alreadyon her best run at a slam after making the second round.
It’ll be a pretty big upset if she can keep this up against the worldNo 45.
01:56 PM BST
‘Murray looking relatively comfortable’
The weather has eased up and Murray has made it out onto one of the practice courts at the back of Aorangi Park. He’ll be partnering up with Jamie in the men’s doubles tomorrow but the two brothers are currently on opposite sides of the net.
Joe Salisbury and American Rajeev Ram - both doubles specialists - are with the siblings, the former alongside Murray, who looked relatively comfortable and assured in his movement while firing down some serves, before the pairs switched ends.
01:52 PM BST
Gauff 6-1, 1-0 Todoni
The American is in full control on Court 1. Far too much grass court know-how and quality from the second seed.
01:48 PM BST
Rain has stopped
It’s clear that the Wimbledon officials are desperate to get started as soon as possible because we are back under way on the outside courts.
Meanwhile on Centre:
Alexandre Muller and Daniil Medvedev are set to begin proceedings on Centre Court for Day 3 🙌#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/WFFSA86K03
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2024
01:31 PM BST
Rain has returned
We only got 20 minutes of action on the outside courts before rain stops play again.
This must be getting hugely frustrating for the players and becoming a major source of concern for the tournament officials who are facing a scheduling backlog.
01:24 PM BST
Federer family at Wimbledon
I’m currently sat on Court 1 where Gauff is in action.
In front of me is Roger Federer’s parents Robert and Lynette with his twin sons Lenny and Leo.
They are thoroughly enjoying Gauff’s performance so far, she leads 2-1.
At the change of ends, Lynette took a nice picture of the young chaps posing.
01:14 PM BST
Good news from Wimbledon
The sun out, the covers are off and we are finally about to get some tennis thankfully.
Under the roof on Court 1, Coco Gauff is due to play Anca Todoni of Romania.
12:54 PM BST
Raducanu hails Murray
I think the biggest advice is just how he’s always taken care of his operations, how he manages his people.
I think for me it’s just like watching him operate day to day, watching him be absolutely on it with everything. Even in practice now, he’s so on it to the minute.
I think me, when I was a bit younger maybe, showing up 15 minutes before practice to do a few arm curls, swing my hand around and warm up, he’s there for an hour and a half doing treatment. He just sets really good examples.
12:44 PM BST
‘Queue to watch Murray practice getting longer’
Just been floating about the practice courts, whereAndy Murray was due to have a hit atmidday. The queue to get in was already pretty long before news of the Murray and Raducanu double act broke but it’s since got bigger.
12:35 PM BST
No play before 1pm
The rain did stop for a while and the covers came off. But not long after it started raining again and the covers were quickly back on.
It means a two-hour delay for players on the outside courts. Not ideal preparation for them.
12:29 PM BST
‘Rain delaying Djokovic and Kyrgios practice session’
Novak Djokovic and a very intriguing hitting partner, Nick Kyrgios, were due out on the practice courts for a hit but the rain covers have currently put a stop to that. There’s no rain right now but ominous clouds and obviously a fair bit of drying out is required from earlier.
Peering over a fence, spotted Djokovic warming up bouncing around on a blue exercise ball. Kyrgios is in the area, dressed in a black Chicago Bulls T-shirt. He’s not played at all since a defeat in Stuttgart in June last year.
Hopefully, the crowds will see them shortly but it is starting to spit again.
12:26 PM BST
Possible team names for Murray and Raducanu
Anducanu
Murraycanu
Murrucanu
RaducAndy
Emdy
EmmAndy
Raducurry
Send me your suggestions please!
12:19 PM BST
Murray’s pull is strong
12:11 PM BST
Busy few days for Raducanu and Murray
The mixed doubles tournament is scheduled to be played on Friday and Saturday.
If Raducanu reaches the third round of the singles, that match will be played on Friday.
“Love it. That is so good,” says John Lloyd after learning of the Murray/Raducanu news.
12:00 PM BST
Breaking: Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray in mixed doubles
Big news coming out of Wimbledon, Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray are combining for the first time together in the mixed doubles.
11:45 AM BST
No play before 12.15pm
With the ongoing rain, play has been delayed by another 30 minutes. Hard to see all the matches being finished today which will cause scheduling headaches for the officials here.
11:35 AM BST
It’s still raining!
11:21 AM BST
Wimbledon and BBC split over scheduling of Andy Murray’s doubles match
By Matt Hughes
All England Club officials will hold high-level talks with the BBC on Wednesday to decide the timing of Andy Murray’s Wimbledon swansong amidst concerns that what could be his final match at SW19 may be overshadowed by the broadcaster’s general election and Euro 2024 coverage.
The two-time former Wimbledon champion pulled out of the singles following back surgery on Tuesday, but confirmed he would play in the doubles tournament with brother Jamie in his final appearance at the Championships before his expected retirement after the Paris Olympics.
Wimbledon has more flexibility in scheduling doubles than singles matches, with the first round beginning on Wednesday and due to be completed by Friday, but it is understood that preliminary discussions with the BBC have already revealed differences of opinion.
Read more here.
11:11 AM BST
No play before 11.45am
Confirmation that the start of day three has been delayed due to rain. The roof is covering Centre and No 1 so play will start on time on those courts.
11:03 AM BST
Umbrellas are going up
We have some light drizzle at Wimbledon just when play was about to start on the outside courts.
And as I type, the court attendants are scurrying to put covers on the courts.
10:56 AM BST
Wednesday’s order of play
Centre Court
1.30pm: Alexandre Muller (Fra) v (5) Daniil Medvedev (Rus), Naomi Osaka (Jpn) v (19) Emma Navarro (USA), (1) Jannik Sinner (Ita) v Matteo Berrettini (Ita)
Court 1
1pm: Anca Todoni (Rom) v (2) Coco Gauff (USA), (3) Carlos Alcaraz (Spa) v Aleksandar Vukic (Aus), Emma Raducanu (Gbr) v Elise Mertens (Bel)
Court 2
11am: Fabio Fognini (Ita) v (8) Casper Ruud (Nor), (7) Jasmine Paolini (Ita) v Greet Minnen (Bel), Stan Wawrinka (Swi) v Gael Monfils (Fra), Yafan Wang (Chn) v (12) Madison Keys (USA)
Click here for the rest of today’s schedule.
10:40 AM BST
Day three at Wimbledon
Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s coverage of day three from Wimbledon.
It is set to be another busy day at SW19 with several big names in singles action and the start of the doubles tournament.
Emma Raducanu is one of three British women on the schedule and she is on Court 1 against Elise Mertens of Belgium.
Play on Centre will be opened by fifth seed Daniil Medvedev, who plays Alexandre Muller of France.
That match is followed by Naomi Osaka, who is delighted to be back playing at Wimbledon after the birth of her daughter.
“I mean, honestly, before my [first round] match I was looking at my photo album. Like, they have that feature ‘this time last year’. I was looking at that. I was looking at photos of myself in the hospital,” she said.
“It’s really cool to be here now. I think my mindset last year was just trying to survive. Honestly, I didn’t really know what was going on after I gave birth. Yeah, just trying to piece myself back together.”
Elsewhere the match of the day is the all-Italian showdown between Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini, which is last on Centre.
“I feel like in Italy we have so many tournaments, starting with juniors, then the future and challengers. We have big, big ATP tournaments there. We have good facilities and great coaches,” Sinner said.
“I think the combination with that and also the weather. I feel like we can play the whole year outside if we want. I think this is one of the reasons.
“Then everyone makes his own way and his own path. It’s good to see as many Italians as possible in one draw.”
Meanwhile, Dan Evans will be back to complete his first-round match after bad light stopped play on Tuesday night, with the British number three a set down to 24th seed Alejandro Tabilo.
