Wimbledon 2025 live: Sonay Kartal, Cam Norrie in action on middle Sunday

Sonay Kartal continues to hang in there (James Gheerbrant writes). A couple of gutsy service holds from the Briton take us to 5-4 in the second set. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova now has the opportunity to serve out the win.

Meanwhile, the All England Club has released a statement on that line-calling malfunction earlier (James Gheerbrant writes). “Due to operator error the system was deactivated on the point in question,” the statement says. “The chair umpire followed the established process.”

We have already had Jack Draper complaining about the system at this championship, now there is sure to be much more discussion about the changes made this year. So, what better time to read all about the decision by Wimbledon to abandon line judges in favour of AI technology? Take a look at John Westerby’s piece below:

• Wimbledon says goodbye to line judges after 148 years of service

Kartal on the ropes

Is that the crucial moment in the second set (James Gheerbrant writes)? Sonay Kartal is broken when she puts a forehand into the tramlines, and this time she can’t immediately rescue the break back, as Pavlyuchenkova holds to 15. The Russian leads 4-2 in the second set.

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Efficient first set for Norrie

Cameron Norrie was hailed as “Mr Reliable” at the peak of his career and that first set on No1 Court was about as efficient as it gets. Over the course of 30 minutes he hit only two winners but made just three unforced errors (Stuart Fraser writes).

It may not be spectacular tennis but it is still very impressive. And ultimately enough to get the better of the Chilean qualifier Nicolás Jarry so far.

Norrie made just three unforced errors in the first set THE TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND

Sea-sawing continues in second set

This has been such a close, see-sawing match, but for a moment it just seems as though Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, with her extra power — and plenty of doubles-honed court craft to boot — is beginning to wrest control (James Gheerbrant writes). She opens up a break point in Kartal’s first service game of the second set, which she takes courtesy of a beautifully measured lob. But then Kartal comes fighting back, getting to 15-40 on the Pavlyuchenkova serve, and when the Russian duffs a drop shot into the net, we’re back on serve at 1-1. And then Kartal holds to love for 2-1. She’s not done yet…

Kartal loses first set

After 77 minutes, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova finally takes the first set on Centre Court (James Gheerbrant writes). It wasn’t a great tie-break from Sonay Kartal in truth, with Pavlyuchenkova getting out to a 3-0 lead which ultimately proved decisive, and sealing the set when Kartal dragged a forehand wide. That was an utterly extraordinary set, mainly due to that remarkable incident with the line-calling. I couldn’t hear it from where I’m sitting on Centre Court, but it seems that Pavlyuchenkova said to the umpire at the changeover afterwards: “Because she’s local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me. They stole a game from me. They stole it.” Penny for the thoughts of the disenfranchised line judges who were not asked back this year…

Here’s that line call...

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Kartal holds

And now it’s Kartal’s turn to find her best service game of the match, a hold to 15 sealed confidently with an ace (James Gheerbrant writes). We’re into a tie-breaker, after 70 minutes on Centre Court.

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Kartal serves to stay in the set

And Pavlyuchenkova, for what feels like the first time since the very first game of the match, holds comfortably to 15, so Kartal will have to serve to stay in this first set (James Gheerbrant writes). No question that the Russian is the more powerful hitter, she’s the protagonist in most of the rallies, with the Briton absorbing her power and looking to counter-punch. Can Kartal hold here to force a tie-break?

Justice done

After 61 minutes, and having saved two break points, Sonay Kartal brings up a set point, but she can’t take it, erring long with a slice backhand (James Gheerbrant writes). Pavlyuchenkova climbs into a second serve to bring up a third break point, and this time she takes it. On we go at 5-5 and 64 minutes played in this extraordinary, dramatic first set, with perhaps a measure of justice served there for Pavlyuchenkova.

Why can an umpire not overrule dodgy tech?

“You took the game away from me,” Pavlyuchenkova said to the umpire after losing serve (Alyson Rudd writes).

Is this the moment line judges brush off their pressed trousers and smart skirts and stride back onto court?

Because all those doubts we had look well-founded now.

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We have not surely become so dependent on AI that we do not trust our own eyes. The umpire saw the ball was out, and just as he could once have overruled a human he must be allowed to overrule a robot that has gone for a poorly-timed tea break.

Embarrassing for Wimbledon

And she takes it when Pavlyuchenkova nets with a volley (James Gheerbrant writes). So Kartal leads 5-4 and has an opportunity to serve for the first set. But that is a dreadfully embarrassing moment for Wimbledon.

To recap, the incident came when Kartal hit a shot that was clearly long at game point down. Pavlyuchenkova had that point won fair and square, and if the umpire could see the ball was long, I’m not quite why he didn’t just award the point, and the game, to the Russian.

It was definitely long...

Just looking at the replays, that shot from Kartal was clearly a long way out (James Gheerbrant writes). Pavlyuchenkova can consider herself very unlucky not to have this game done and dusted. And now Kartal has another break point…

Controversy

This is a gruelling, gripping arm wrestle of a tennis match on Centre Court, one in which it feels like the server is dragged to deuce in almost every game (James Gheerbrant writes). Sonay Kartal is putting the Pavlyuchenkova serve under so much pressure, and having missed four break points in the last return game, she’s trying desperately to break at 4-4 when something extraordinary happens.

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Kartal hits a deep shot, the players keep playing, but the umpire stops the point. He clearly felt Kartal’s shot looked out, but was confused by the lack of an automated “out” call. So he announces that he’s “going to check if the system is up and running” and gets on the phone while the players wait. Eventually he announces that the electronic line-calling system was unable to track the last point, so the point will be replayed. On we go…

Tick that one off

As Tracy Austin explained to viewers on BBC1 how Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova came to suffer from Lyme disease, I realised just how many episodes of House I must have watched (Alyson Rudd writes).

The Russian apparently removed a tick that had been living on her partner’s head for four days and in so doing it nibbled her finger. I am pretty sure Dr Gregory House never helped a pro tennis player reach the fourth round of Wimbledon, and if he did then I won’t be picking House as my specialist subject on Mastermind after all.

Kartal and Pavlyuchenkova trade breaks

We’ve played six games on Centre Court and already the players have shared four breaks of serve (James Gheerbrant writes).

Sonay Kartal gets her nose in front at 3-2 after breaking Pavlyuchenkova to 15, but she can’t consolidate the break. Her second serve in particular is looking vulnerable, with Pavlyuchenkova standing inside the baseline and just teeing off (as indeed she was doing against Naomi Osaka). A couple of scorching returns bring up break point, and there follows an absolutely tremendous rally with Kartal scurrying all over the court and making two or three improbable retrievals. But Pavlyuchenkova is always in control and a soft volley into the open court gets her back on level terms.

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Fritz through without breaking sweat

Meanwhile, the tennis gods have smiled on Taylor Fritz (James Gheerbrant writes). After two sapping five-set matches over the first two rounds, his fourth-round match against Australia’s Jordan Thompson lasted just 10 games, with the Australian retiring at 6-3 1-0 down due to injury. Fritz, the fifth seed, goes through to the quarter-finals to play Karen Khachanov.

Intriguing opening stages

An interesting first three games on Centre Court (James Gheerbrant writes). After Pavlyuchenkova holds, Sonay Kartal starts her first service game with an ace, but thereafter almost every points ends with either a miss or a winner from Pavlyuchenkova, suggesting that she is going to be the aggressor in this match, or that, in tennis parlance, the match is on her racket.

Eventually the Russian breaks with a gorgeous backhand overhead onto the line. But then she plays a terrible service game — helped, it must be said, by same great returning from Kartal — and the Briton breaks back to love.

ADAM DAVY/PA

Xu fights on

A thunderstorm has put a halt to play at SW19 (Joe Harston writes). I have dashed to find shelter, leaving Court 12 where Mimi Xu has just found her stride in the business end of her match with Thea Frodin.

Momentum was switching constantly in the deciding set with both struggling to hold serve at crucial moments. The Brit fell behind 5-3 and needed to break and hold to avoid an early exit. She did so with expert shot selection — finding the corners with precision and utilising her drop shot at the perfect moments.

She rallied up the crowd after her comeback was complete — not that they needed it! They have been right behind her this whole match and they will be again once the rain passes.

Here comes Kartal

Just as Sonay Kartal and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova emerged onto Centre Court, there was a huge rumble of thunder, followed by a polite round of applause (James Gheerbrant writes).

Kartal is bidding to become the first British woman to reach the quarter-finals since Johanna Konta in 2019. Pavlyuchenkova might be unseeded, but she is not an opponent to be taken lightly: she’s a former French Open finalist with powerful, deep ground strokes and she played extremely well to defeat Naomi Osaka in the previous round.

Doubling up

Good afternoon from middle Sunday at Wimbledon. Joe Harston here and I’ll be bringing you the latest of the action from the doubles and juniors tournaments today.

I am sitting on Court 3, where the top seeds in the men’s doubles Marcelo Aravelo and Mate Pavic have just advanced past the Czech pairing Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl in straight sets, but only after a wickedly close 28-point tie break in the second set.

Court 14 is looking busy as Mirra Andreeva gets under way in doubles action with her partner Diana Shnaida. Their first set against Sorana Cirstea and Anna Kalinskaya is currently on serve.

In the juniors, Mimi Xu — who qualified as a wild card for the women’s singles and was beaten by Emma Raducanu — has gone into a deciding set against Thea Frodin. She will be hoping to join Hannah Klugman in the second round after her win yesterday.

Update from around the grounds

Although play doesn’t begin on No 1 Court and Centre until 1pm and 1.30pm respectively, there are matches going on on the other courts already.

In the one singles match currently being played, Karen Khachanov, the 17th seed, who made the semi-finals of consecutive Grand Slams at the 2022 US Open and 2023 Australian Open, is two sets up on Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak.

There’s been a bit of a shock in the doubles: the third seeds, Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz of Germany, have lost in straight sets to the unseeded Australian-Dutch pairing of Rinky Hijikata and David Pel, who weren’t even in the draw initially, and only got in as alternates when another team withdrew. They’re now in the quarter-finals.

Mirra Andreeva could be the golden girl

If the charming, witty and supremely talented 18-year-old were Czech or Spanish, she would be a clear darling of the tournament (Alyson Rudd writes). But her Russian citizenship stands in her way.

Read the full piece here.

The 18-year-old Russian has yet to drop a set on her way to the fourth round JOHN WALTON/PA

Queue in full swing

More eager beavers were lining up outside the All England Club overnight hoping to spend a lovely Sunday at the Championships. Not sure how good the quality of sleep is, mind.

Want to know how to master that very British art and get the best out of week two at Wimbledon? Read our full guide to queuing here.

MIKE EGERTON/PA

MIKE EGERTON/PA

Order of play at Wimbledon today

(all courts 11am BST start unless stated)

Centre Court (starting 1.30pm)

Sonay Kartal v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v Elise Mertens (24)

Andrey Rublev (14) v Carlos Alcaraz (2)

No 1 Court (starting 1pm)

Taylor Fritz (5) v Jordan Thompson

Nicolas Jarry v Cameron Norrie

Linda Noskova (30) v Amanda Anisimova (13)

No 2 Court

Karen Khachanov (17) v Kamil Majchrzak

Solana Sierra v Laura Siegemund

Joe Salisbury & Luisa Stefani v Andres Molteni & Asia Muhammad

No 3 Court

Marcelo Arevalo & Mate Pavic (1) v Petr Nouza & Patrik Rikl

Katerina Siniakova & Taylor Townsend (1) v Nicole Melichar-Martinez & Liudmila Samsonova (15)

David Stevenson & Maia Lumsden v Mate Pavic & Timea Babos (8)

Court 12

Hugo Nys & Edouard Roger-Vasselin (10) v Adam Pavlasek & Jan Zielinski

Nathaniel Lammons & Alexandra Panova v Neal Skupski & Desirae Krawczyk

Sem Verbeek & Katerina Siniakova v Santiago Gonzalez & Tereza Mihalikova

Court 18

Andrea Vavassori & Sara Errani (3) v Jackson Withrow & Irina Khromacheva

Joshua Paris & Eden Silva v Robert Galloway & Aldila Sutjiadi

Yuki Bhambri & Xinyu Jiang v Marcelo Arevalo & Shuai Zhang (2)

Good morning and welcome to middle Sunday

Hello and welcome to the Sunday Times’ live coverage of day seven of Wimbledon. Middle Sunday was once a time to take stock and relax after the drama and excitement of the first week. But now, thanks to the advancements in grass technology (yes, it’s really a thing), we’re rattling on through for another day’s play.

The pick of today’s matches are Britain’s teenage star Sonay Kartal playing Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova first up on Centre Court, before Cameron Norrie faces Nicolas Jarry later this afternoon on No 1 Court.

The defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is in action against the 14th seed Andrey Rublev, while Aryna Sabalenka, the No1 seed who vanquished Emma Raducanu on Friday night, is up against Elise Mertens.

There might be a bit of a delay thanks to the good old British summer.

Full order of play coming right up.

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