Pavlyuchenkova overcomes Kartal to make Wimbledon quarters

WIMBLEDON — Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova saved a set point in the first set before beating Britain’s Sonay Kartal 7-6 (3), 6-4 to reach her second Wimbledon quarterfinal on Monday.

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The 34-year-old Pavlyuchenkova has now made a total of 10 Grand Slam quarterfinals over the past 14 years. She's done so four times at the Australian Open (2017, 2019, 2020, 2025), three times at Roland Garros (2011 and a run to the final in 2021), twice at Wimbledon (2016, 2025) and once at the US Open (2011). Her results this year mark the second time she has made multiple major quarterfinals in one season, and first time since 2011.

Pavlyuchenkova, who was diagnosed with Lyme disease in February and has spent several months struggling to recover her form, made the first grass-court semifinal of her career last week in Eastbourne. She's now 8-1 on the surface this year. She'll bid to make her second major semifinal against either No. 13 seed Amanda Anisimova or No. 30 seed Linda Noskova.

Pavlyuchenkova locks in following controversy: A tight first set was marred by an electronic line-calling failure that could have been pivotal. At 4-4, Pavlyuchenkova -- who had saved two break points in that game -- held game point when a Kartal backhand landed clearly over the baseline. But no call came -- an error later attributed to 'operator error' -- and instead of the point being awarded to Pavlyuchenkova, it was replayed. Kartal went on to break, and held set point serving for the set in the next game.

But from there, Pavlyuchenkova locked in. Unleashing a barrage of forehands, she saved set point, broke back and dominated the ensuing tiebreak.

The World No. 50 maintained her momentum in the second set as a series of hot shots -- a left-handed forehand followed by a winning lob, a superb sequence of volleys -- paved the way to an immediate break. Despite the determined Kartal breaking back, Pavlyuchenkova kept her foot to the floor, capturing the Briton's serve for a 3-2 lead and blitzing a forehand winner down the line on her first match point. It was her 36th clean winner of the match compared to Kartal's 14.

"it was very confusing in the beginning, because the ball looked very long to me," Pavlyuchenkova said of the electronic line-calling failure. "I tried to play it, but it was quite long, so it was even tough to play it. Then I stopped. The chair umpire stopped, as well, the point. Then I was pretty sure that it was my game because I saw it was very long. Then I thought I would just sit on the chair, but then he started calling.

"We were waiting for decision as the system was down, but I was expecting to hear if they say the ball was in or out. Instead they just say, 'Replay the point.' It was tricky especially in that moment. It was very crucial moment in the match.

"I expected different decision. I just thought also chair umpire could take initiative. That's why he's there. He also saw it out, he told me after the match."

"We're losing a little bit of charm": To Pavlyuchenkova, the incident in the first set was a worrying sign of the future.

"Soon let's just play without [umpires], right, and then we're going to have everything automatic," she said. "I think we're losing a little bit of the charm of actually having human beings. Like during COVID, we didn't have ballboys. It just becomes a little bit weird and robot-orientated."

When it came to her win, though, she was happy that she'd been able to put into practise the work she's been doing lately on mental strength. Asked how she would have reacted in previous years, Pavlyuchenkova responded that she would not have been here in the first place -- she would have exited in the first round to Ajla Tomljanovic, having trailed by a set and a break.

"I've had so many matches in the past where I would just completely lose it," she said. "For sure today, as well, having the crowd like that, having this call, I would probably be still talking about this call to my box for the next ten games probably. Maybe till the end of the match.

"I think I had poor mentality, back in the past. Not always, but majority of the times."