Going fourth...fearless Brits keep flying the flag at SW19

IT was a marvellous day for British tennis at Wimbledon with Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie getting through to the last 16 next week.

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And there is hope they will be joined in the fourth round by Emma Raducanu, who was battling for victory last night in a titanic tussle with world number one Aryna Sabalenka.

Some 15,000 fans on centre court and a worldwide television audience of millions were entranced by the biggest clash of the championships so far.

Raducanu’s showdown on centre was the main event with the British number one coming up against the top-ranked and inform Belarusian.

Sabalenka, 27, had made it to the final of the past three Grand Slams and is famed for her powerful big hitting. But Raducanu, 22, stood up to her onslaught and broke serve early in the first set, roared on by a partisan crowd.

Fans had queued around centre court with Pimm’s in hand and sun hats in 26C heat to watch one of the most anticipated matches of the Championships so far.

Amid the surge of interest in Raducanu’s showdown, stewards had begun turning fans away, warning that ground pass capacity was close to being reached.

Among the supporters were Amy Stainthorpe, 25, and Hannah Wicks, 24, both working in fashion buying, who said: “You've got to support the girls. That’s why we're here — the men take all of the spotlight, but it’s great to see a lady running things.”