Wimbledon Briefing – UK Results: Emma Raducanu’s grit not enough, Cam Norrie and Sonay Kartal stay standing

Day Five of Wimbledon saw only a few local survivors remaining in both the men's and women's draws. Emma Raducanu's defeat to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka marked the day for the home players, who nonetheless found a couple of reasons to celebrate by securing male and female representatives in the second week, even if they weren't the ones initially expected.

World No. 61 Cameron Norrie recaptured his best form by defeating Mattia Bellucci, becoming the only British man to reach the fourth round. On the women's side, the joy came from Sonay Kartal, who, for the first time, is in the second week of a Grand Slam, keeping local hopes alive in the women's draw.

Emma Raducanu faced a true battle against Aryna Sabalenka in the Wimbledon third round, delivering a commendable performance. The former US Open champion showed genuine fighting spirit in the first set, saving seven set points with the score at 4-5. After leveling, she even held a lead with serve, but Sabalenka managed to push it to a tie-break. Raducanu squandered a set point of her own, and the world No. 1 then reeled off three straight points to clinch the set 7-6(8-6).

The second set was another rollercoaster. This time, Raducanu managed to take an early lead. Strong service games saw her go up 4-1, with good chances to force a decider when she had an opportunity for a double break. However, Sabalenka brought out her best repertoire and showed much more personality in the crucial points. The world No. 1 converted 2 of her 4 break opportunities and was unyielding on her serve, winning the last five games in a row to close out the victory 7-6(6), 6-4.

Raducanu will drop some positions in the rankings after failing to defend the fourth round she reached in 2024, falling to world No. 45. On the other side, Sabalenka will meet Belgium's Elise Mertens (24th) in the Round of 16.

Sonay Kartal continues to dazzle at Wimbledon, securing her third consecutive victory to advance to the fourth round of the tournament. The world No. 51 overcame a slow start against Diane Parry (No. 118) and ultimately triumphed 6-4, 6-2, winning 12 of the last 15 games played. The Brit became the first British woman to reach the second week of Wimbledon.

Kartal started with a break against her in the first set and was down 0-3 in just a few minutes. However, crowd support was key for Kartal to pull ahead against the talented Frenchwoman. After falling behind 1-4, she took absolute control of the match, winning the next 5 games consecutively. In the second set, she took an early lead, going up 4-0, and then closed out the match by holding strongly onto her serve. This is the Brit's best Grand Slam performance; she has guaranteed her best-ever ranking as world No. 44 in the live rankings and now awaits Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Cameron Norrie continues his steady progress at Wimbledon, overcoming Italy's Mattia Bellucci in straight sets (7-6, 6-4, 6-3). The former world No. 9 rallied from an early break disadvantage and prevailed in a tight first set, which proved crucial for gaining momentum and securing a straight-sets victory. The Brit landed 64% of his first serves, winning 65% of those points.

Bellucci was far from his best, committing a total of 54 unforced errors throughout the match. Norrie showcased his greater experience in these types of situations, performing better in key moments, converting 8 of 11 break points, while conceding his serve 6 times. In the fourth round, he will face qualifier Nicolás Jarry—another player who is rediscovering his best form—who notably eliminated Brazil's João Fonseca on Friday afternoon.