Kartal’s run has been one of the stories of Wimbledon so far.
Raised in Brighton, she regularly played Raducanu at junior level and a clip of a long rally between them when they were nine has previously gone viral.
Raducanu won the 2021 US Open as an 18-year-old qualifier, but Kartal’s development has been checked by injuries and illness. Earlier this year, she did not expect to play at Wimbledon because of a “scary” health problem.
This week, Kartal said she had “spent my whole life kind of under the radar a little bit”, but playing the current US Open champion gave her the opportunity to step into the spotlight.
Kartal, ranked 298th in the world, tested Gauff in the first set before the second seed established control.
The Briton said she was “proud” of her performance here and in qualifying, adding: “I think my first set today, that set today and the whole week, has given me confidence to prove that my level is up there.
“I’ve never come out with someone like Coco before. There’s a reason why she is where she is, number two in the world. She played some unbelievable tennis in that second set.”
Gauff, who will now play fellow American Emma Navarro, the 19th seed, said: “She was playing at a high level and wasn’t giving me much to work with. She mixes up her variety and didn’t let me settle. I felt I was going for the right shots but just missing.
“Eventually I found them and was able to win.”
It was an unnerving start as Gauff won the first eight points but Kartal settled and went toe-to-toe with her opponent from the baseline. The crowd responded and a Gauff double fault allowed her to break back for 4-4.
However, the match turned in the next game when, at deuce, a Gauff backhand was called long. The American challenged and celebrated when the review showed the ball clipping the back of the line. Another backhand winner on the next point gave her the break and, soon after, a Gauff ace sealed the set, prompting a roar to her team.
Kartal was again broken to love at the start of the second set and Gauff, who won 90% of her first-serve points, raced through it to move on.