Katie Boulter put Great Britain on the board at Wimbledon with the win over Danielle Lao, while Jack Draper showed his potential by taking a set from Novak Djokovic.
Boulter is ranked 219, but she is certainly a better player than that and has shown on many occasions that the big stages bring out the best in her.
He had a good draw against American qualifier Lao, making his Wimbledon debut at the age of 30, but had to fight from a set down and 1-3 in the deciding set to win 6-7 (6) 6-3 6-4.
Boulter, who will face second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, said: “Obviously, having been absent for a couple of years, it really means a lot. In the end, it was not pleasant at all. I knew it wasn’t going to be like this. But I fought so hard, I found a way I feel like that’s what tennis is really about. “
Nineteen-year-old Draper found himself making his Wimbledon debut on center court against the man seeking the 20th Grand Slam title and the third in a row at the All England Club.
He said he would seize the opportunity and he certainly did, showing what makes him such an exciting talent by securing the first set before Djokovic fought back to win 4-6 6-1 6-2 6-2.
He said: “I didn’t want to give him too much respect. I wanted to win the game today. He wasn’t looking to put in a good performance and lose.
“Winning a set against Novak Djokovic on my Wimbledon debut is something I will not forget. I hope that in the next few years I can improve that. “
Katie Swan was the first British woman to go through the Wimbledon qualification in 20 years.
But her stint in the Championship was short after a straight-sets loss to seasoned American Madison Keys.
Keys, a former US Open finalist and seed 23rd, won 6-3 6-4.
Jodie Burrage’s debut at Wimbledon was short-lived, the 22-year-old lost 6-2 6-1 to American Lauren Davis.
Johanna Konta thanked fans for their messages of support after a member of her team ruled her out of Wimbledon and tested positive for Covid-19.
The British number one was forced to retire on the eve of the tournament.
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Source: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-06-28 22:12:43
