Wimbledon: 'Unbelievable' Gauff a step too far for qualifier Kartal

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World number two Coco Gauff proved far too strong for qualifier Sonay Kartal as she eased into the last 16 at Wimbledon on Friday.

Kartal, the first female British qualifier to reach the third round at the All England Club since 1997, had eliminated Sorana Cirstea and Clara Burel to reach this stage.

But Gauff represented a clear step up and, after a slightly testing first set, accelerated to a 6-4 6-0 win.

The US Open champion has never been beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon but will get the opportunity to do so against Emma Navarro on Sunday.

"I've never come out with someone like Coco before," said 298th-ranked Kartal. "There's a reason why she is where she is, number two in the world.

"She played some unbelievable tennis in that second set."

Data Debrief: Gauff's glass ceiling?

Gauff's breakout main-draw run at a major came at Wimbledon in 2019 when she reached the fourth round, but she has since surpassed that performance at each of the other three grand slams, most notably triumphing at Flushing Meadows.

Crucially, however, the 20-year-old has plenty of time on her side as she seeks to make strides at the grass-court major.

Indeed, not since Agnieszka Radwanska, in 2009, has a younger women's player reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for a third time. Gauff will hope it is third time lucky.