While Raducanu rocketed to stardom with her stunning win in New York as an 18-year-old qualifier, Kartal, 22, has taken longer to make a name for herself.
The pair regularly played each other at junior level and a clip of a lengthy rally, external from that period has previously gone viral.
Kartal’s development was checked by injuries before “a scary few months at the start of the year” with health issues. She did not expect to be well enough to play at Wimbledon this year and says coming through qualifying was “the best thing for me”.
Kartal told BBC Sport she had “spent my whole life kind of under the radar a little bit”.
On Friday, she steps into the Court One spotlight to play American Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion.
“I think it’s what dreams are made of,” said Kartal. “I came here as a little kid, when I was six or seven, watching matches. I’ve got pictures in my house of me and my family on Centre Court, watching Roger Federer and things like that.
“I’ll play my game and play my strengths and we’ll see what the outcome is on Friday.”
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