Britain’s Sonay Kartal has won her first professional match, but she already has a big prize in her corner! After battling serious health problems earlier this season, Kartal had very little hope of competing at Wimbledon. Entering the Grand Slam’s second round after losing in the first the last two years, Kartal is on cloud nine. And fueling her happiness is a special person’s compliment, who can’t help but “fancy” this talented tennis player.
Kartal took to her Instagram to celebrate her first win at Wimbledon, adding a few snippets after ousting 29th seed Sorana Cirstea. Over the moon, she wrote, “See you in the 2nd round🫡 📸ITF.” Kartal’s boyfriend, Luke Ogbourn, stole some limelight from her with his adorable comment for the talented British tennis player. “God I fancy you😍,” wrote Ogbourn. But that’s not all.
Ogbourn also shared an adorable video on his official Instagram story where he was spotted hugging his talented girlfriend. Sharing the photo, Ogbourn wrote, “I don’t think I could be any more proud of you. I Love you champ,” and a blue heart emoji. His last picture on Instagram is also of two of them together from 7 weeks ago.
Do you think Sonay Kartal’s relationship with Luke Ogbourn will impact her tennis career?
The caption of the post reads, “Huge admiration for this one🩵 Showing me the real meaning of athlete (Not to mention arms almost as big as mine😮💨).”
While mystery surrounds the first time they went on a date, speculations of their relationship began after Kartal’s boyfriend shared an image with her from her ITF Great Britain 08A tour. Their first picture together on Ogbourn’s account is from last November, so it can be assumed they’ve been together for a while now!
Ogbourn is a bodybuilder and strongman. According to the information on his Instagram bio, he won a silver medal at the United Kingdom’s Strongest Man U23 2024 and grabbed gold in Iron Beasts 2024. Most of his Instagram updates are about him working out in the gym or playing rugby with his friends.
Despite not relying on much social media PDA, Ogbourn showered compliments on his partner Sonay Kartal on her victory. On the other hand, the result must have been amazing for her since Kartal fought hard to return to the court after battling with serious health issues.
Sonay Kartal says she is “super proud” for reaching Wimbledon’s second round
This British WTA star expressed great happiness on entering the British Grand Slam second round after failing for two years at a stretch. “My greatest and definitely my proudest [moment]. I think getting a first win at any slam and to have it at Wimbledon makes it extra special,” Kartal said post-victory.
However, her journey wasn’t that smooth as a serious health issue happened to her earlier this season, and she could play only two tournaments from April to September. “I had a couple of health issues at the start of this year. Pretty serious. I won’t go into the detail but I didn’t think I’d be on tour this year,” she said. Kartal not only played the tour regularly but defeated Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, a seeded player, showing her indomitable spirit.
And now with her grasscourt season in full swing, and Luke Ogbourn supporting her, Sonay Kartal is ready to move forward at SW19! Following such incredible support, it feels like nothing will remain unreachable for Kartal for too long.