British hopes at Wimbledon narrowed sharply on Sunday, as rising star Sonay Kartal bowed out in a closely fought fourth-round clash on Centre Court—just hours before Cameron Norrie delivered a heroic five-set win to keep the home crowd dreaming.
Kartal, 23, had become the last Brit standing in the women’s singles and was making her Centre Court debut amid thunderclaps and high expectations. But her 7-6(3), 6-4 defeat to Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was as frustrating as it was honourable—a match marred by the controversial failure of Wimbledon’s new electronic line-calling system.
With the first set hanging in the balance at 4-4, the system failed to register a clear error from Kartal, forcing officials to replay the point and handing the Brit a break she hadn’t earned. Pavlyuchenkova, furious, told the umpire: “You stole the game from me.” Yet it was the Russian who ultimately kept her composure, delivering 36 winners and exposing Kartal’s second serve to reach her first Wimbledon quarter-final in nine years.
Despite the defeat, Kartal has cemented her breakthrough year. Ranked outside the top 250 just twelve months ago, she now breaks into the world’s top 50, overtaking Emma Raducanu to become British No.2. Her fourth-round run earned her £240,000—more than double her career prize money to date—and admiration for her gritty, old-school playing style and quiet defiance. “It’s a bit like a business,” she said afterwards. “You’ve got to invest in yourself to become better.”
Victory for Norrie
Over on Court One, Putney resident Norrie turned back the clock to his 2022 semi-final form, winning an epic 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-7(7), 6-7(5), 6-3 marathon against Chile’s Nicolas Jarry. The British No.3 surged into a two-set lead before losing consecutive tie-breaks and facing a tense decider. He held firm, clinching the win after 4 hours and 27 minutes with a roar and a tumble to the turf.
“I had to keep fighting,” Norrie said, after an emotionally charged exchange at the net. He becomes just the fourth British man in the Open Era to reach multiple Wimbledon quarter-finals.
He now faces a potential blockbuster clash with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz—assuming the Spaniard sees off Andrey Rublev in Sunday’s late match.
For Kartal, the tournament ends in heartbreak but also in hope. For Norrie, the Wimbledon story continues.
Another Putney local wins
Meanwhile, Putney teenager Flora Johnson made a memorable start to her Wimbledon girls’ singles campaign, defeating seventh seed Alena Kovackova in straight sets after recovering from an early break.
The 17-year-old wildcard embraced her underdog status, using the energy of the home crowd to settle her nerves and swing the match in her favour. It was a confident performance from a player who has surged up the junior rankings this year, climbing from outside the top 500 into the world’s top 200.
Balancing elite tennis with A-Level studies in Maths, Economics and French, Johnson has taken a relaxed approach to the tournament, focusing on the experience rather than setting expectations. She described feeling more comfortable without the pressure of being the favourite, and credited recent matches — including a strong showing at Roehampton — with helping her believe she could compete at this level.
As she continues her Wimbledon journey, Johnson is fast becoming a local name to watch.
