Wimbledon 2025: Emma Raducanu ‘looking forward’ to world No.1 clash; Sonay Kartal on her route to the top
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There will be two British players in the third round of the women’s singles this year – with British No.1 Emma Raducanu and No.3 Sonay Kartal continuing their impressive form at SW19.
Both players reached this stage last year, with Raducanu going on to equal her career-best performance at Wimbledon in the fourth round, while Kartal bowed out to Coco Gauff in her first match on No.1 Court.
This time around however, former junior rivals Raducanu and Kartal come into the round of 32 as very different players and with renewed outlooks – both on their development and their approach to the game.
For 2021 US Open champion Raducanu, the home factor is making a big difference to how she’s feeling on court and enjoying her tennis at The Championships.
“I think that was one of the best matches I've played in a long time, which I'm very proud of,” Raducanu said reflecting on a statement win over 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova in the second round.
“There’s no better feeling than winning here at Wimbledon, winning on Centre Court. It honestly makes everything worth it.”
Off the back of one of her most impressive performances of the last 12 months against one of the toughest players in this year’s draw, the challenges certainly don’t get any easier in the next round.
Raducanu’s reward for her second round win is a mouthwatering contest against world No.1 and three-time Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka.
Sabalenka has made the finals of the last three Grand Slam events and has been the dominant force on the WTA Tour in the last year.
You want to play the best. You are going to have to play them at some point if you want to win one of these tournaments.
However, this has been the tournament of upsets, with four of the top five women’s seeds going out in the first two rounds and 23 seeds exiting in the first round across both men’s and women’s draws – the most since 2001.
For Raducanu, the prospect of getting to play the best player in the world at her home slam is something to be excited about and the Briton feels she has a free swing with the pressure off her.
“Aryna is No.1 in the world, been so dominant in the women's game as of the last few years,” she said. “I know it's going to be a massive challenge. I'm going to have to play some really good tennis.
“You want to play the best. You are going to have to play them at some point if you want to win one of these tournaments.
“Even though it's early in the tournament, I'm looking forward to the opportunity.”
Kartal showing her progress in strong Wimbledon run
Out on No.3 Court on Wednesday it felt like a relatively routine 6-2, 6-2 win for Kartal up against Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova to make the third round at a major for only the second time.
Last year Kartal made headlines having come through qualifying to reach the same stage as the world No.298, but the story this year couldn’t be more contrasting.
Her victory over Tomova has seen her reach a new career-high in the WTA live rankings inside the world’s top 50 off the back of an incredible year on tour, in which she won her first WTA title in Tunisia.
Kartal’s journey to this point hasn’t always been so straightforward and the British star admitted in her press that she made the biggest improvements late into her development.
Over the past few years, she has been supported by the LTA Pro Scholarship Programme, presented by Lexus – providing funding and support for the most promising players aged 16-24 with the potential to break into the ATP/WTA top 100.
They really helped to give me all the equipment and access to everything I needed to develop as well, which is obviously I think what has happened in the last few years.
“I was out quite a lot of years injured as a teenager,” Kartal said reflecting on her pathway through the juniors. “I didn't pick up a racket for a couple years as well. I was kind of a bit inconsistent as I was going through teenage years.
“The LTA helped me massively. For me it came at exactly the right time. It was when I started to come on the scene and was putting together a few good wins consistently.
“They really helped to give me all the equipment and access to everything I needed to develop as well, which is obviously I think what has happened in the last few years.
“I think I've shot up the rankings. My game style really rocketed.”
Kartal will be hoping to achieve another career milestone this week as she prepares to face France’s Diane Parry – who knocked out 12th seed Diana Shnaider in second round.
Traditionally a more dangerous clay and hard court player, Kartal is learning to make adjustments to ensure her game is effective on the surface.
“It's a surface that doesn't really come naturally to me. I have to really think and adapt my game style, which I think is also going to help me develop beyond this tournament as well. I have to be really aggressive. If I can be aggressive on grass, I can prove to myself that I can do it and I can do it against the best players.”
