Gauff Ends Kartal’s Dream Run at Wimbledon
On Friday, second seed Coco Gauff ended the dream run of British qualifier Sonay Kartal with a 6-4, 6-0 victory, advancing to the fourth round of Wimbledon. Kartal, who started the week ranked 298th in the world, put up a strong fight, but Gauff prevailed in the opening set to make the match certain.
Champion of the U.S. Open Gauff remarked, “I thought I played really well, and she was playing at a high level, especially in the first set,” on Court One beneath the covered canopy. She was not letting me settle and wasn’t giving me anything to work with. I eventually discovered it, even though I felt like I was aiming for the correct shots but was just missing.”
Gauff has not advanced to the quarterfinals despite qualifying for the fourth round in 2019 at the age of 15 and again in 2021. Emma Navarro, the 19th-seeded American who overcame Diana Shnaider on Friday, will be her opponent this time. At Wimbledon, where she hopes to break her previous best and make her maiden quarterfinal appearance, Gauff’s steady play further establishes her as a strong opponent.