Sonay Kartal is moving on to the fourth round of Wimbledon with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over French qualifier Diane Parry. Kartal saw a rocky start to the match, losing the first three games, but went on to win nine games in a row and exhibit a dominant performance. Next, she’ll take on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who clinched a spot in the fourth round after defeating the former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka.
To make it to the final 16, Kartal started off strong by knocking off 20th-seed Jelena Ostapenko in the first round and then blew past Viktoriya Tomova in straight sets. While her name hasn’t historically made significant headlines, many are looking at her as a rising star in British tennis.
Check out some facts about the up-and-comer:
She’s shining Bright(on)
Kartal has shown steady progress over the past six years, with a turbo boost this fortnight. The Brighton native hit the ITF circuit in 2019 and snagged her first ITF titles in 2021 at W15 Antalya and W15 Monastir. In 2022, she played her first main draw matches on grass at Nottingham and Wimbledon, but lost both matches.
However, she hit a stride in 2024, claiming her first title at Monastir and reaching the third round of Wimbledon as a qualifier. She crossed into Top 100 territory for the first time, peaking at No. 85 by the end of the year.
Now, the 23-year-old is ranked world No. 51—a far cry from her No. 298 ranking this time last year. If she keeps up the momentum, she could crack the Top 50 and surpass her career-high ranking of world No. 49.
Fourth time's the charm
In her fourth appearance at Wimbledon, Kartal finally made it into the fourth round—a first for her in a major tournament. Her win over Parry makes her the fourth unseeded British woman to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon this century after Laura Robson (2013), Emma Raducanu (2021 and 2024) and Heather Watson (2022).
“I think everybody saw from the level I started at that I was pretty nervous,” she said in her on-court interview after her third round match. “It’s the biggest and most meaningful stage that I’ve played on. I’ve got a lot of people here and I wanted to do them proud, do myself proud.”
Kartal is a tattoo lover
Tennis players always bring their own style to the court. For Kartal, she typically sports retro, baggy outfits and an impressive collection of tattoos. With 14 tattoos, and counting, Kartal has been vocal about her affinity for ink. Her tattoos range from meaningful to more playful—from a pawprint honoring her late dog to inspirational quotes. She reportedly got her 14th tattoo—a bee—while at Roland Garros.
According to her on-court interview after her third round win, it’s looking like Wimbledon might inspire her 15th piece. If anyone has any ideas, she’s all ears.
“I’m not one to say ‘no’ to a tattoo. I think I can easily be persuaded," Kartal said. "I’m just lacking on a few creative ideas myself. So I’ve said in the press that if anyone has any ideas, let me know.”
For more from London, including complete draws and schedules, visit Wimbledon's official website.
