LONDON — Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal faced a stern challenge Friday afternoon as she tried to claw her way back into her third-round Wimbledon clash against France’s Diane Parry.
Parry, who entered the tournament as a qualifier, began the first set in commanding form. She broke Kartal early, racing to a 3-0 lead with a powerful forehand and a series of well-placed slices. Kartal, Britain’s world No. 298, appeared unsettled, struggling with consistency on her second serve and depth on her returns.
The Brit found some rhythm after holding serve to get on the board at 3-1, drawing loud cheers from the crowd on Court One. Her confidence lifted slightly with two aces, but a double fault followed, halting momentum. “Sonay Kartal has got to find her depth,” one analyst noted during the broadcast, summing up the Briton’s slow start.
Parry maintained pressure, capitalizing on Kartal’s hesitations. A one-handed backhand winner followed by a break-point conversion with a cross-court forehand left Kartal playing catch-up. Parry, a former world No. 48, dictated the pace from the baseline and repeatedly found angles that forced Kartal into defensive positions.
Meanwhile, on Court Two, American Ben Shelton made headlines for wrapping up his second-round match in just 55 seconds. Returning after Thursday’s delay due to poor light, Shelton needed only four points to defeat Australia’s Rinky Hijikata. He fired three aces and finished with an unreturned serve, apologizing afterward: “Didn’t get to see much tennis today,” he joked to the crowd.
Elsewhere, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova pulled off a gritty comeback against Naomi Osaka. After dropping the first set 3-6, she fought back to win 6-4, 6-4. “I was behind most of the match,” Pavlyuchenkova said on court. “But I played point by point, and mentally I stayed strong.”
The Russian will now face the winner of Kartal vs. Parry in the fourth round.
Wimbledon Day 5 also saw Taylor Fritz and Cameron Norrie feature prominently on Centre Court. Emma Raducanu is scheduled to close the day’s play in a high-stakes match against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Back on Court One, Kartal’s challenge remains steep. Despite a slow start, she is still pushing to close the gap against a confident Parry, who continues to dominate with her single-handed backhand and precise serving.
As Kartal continues her uphill battle, her fighting spirit and the home crowd’s support remain her best assets heading into the second set.
