On Day 1 of Wimbledon, world No. 31 Sorana Cirstea will take on qualifier Sonay Kartal. This isn’t a popcorn match by any means, but it feels like a good opportunity to back a small underdog. While Cirstea is seeded, she has lost her last five matches. That includes two straight-set defeats on grass, in Birmingham and Eastbourne. Cirstea isn’t in good form entering this event, and she’ll now take on a London local.
Kartal seemed like a player that would have had a good case for a wild card, and there were fans clamoring for her to get one. But the 22-year-old ended up in the main draw through qualifying, a run that should only benefit her. Kartal earned wins over Suzan Lamens, Sijia Wei and Erika Andreeva, the latter a convincing 6-3, 6-1 beatdown, and it was also Kartal’s first Top 100 win. The Brit should be brimming with confidence, and there’s no reason she can’t beat Cirstea.
